Undisclosed Desires
by Man.U4ever
Summary: While the team is in San Diego to investigate a series of murders, Prentiss is annoyed by the detective's interest in Reid and starts to question her relationship with him. Fic re-edited and beta'd by Taomerline. R&R
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Thanks to my beta reader Taomerline. **

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><p>The team always bugged Reid to get rid of his unreliable junk heap of a car. So, the first time he was caught arriving at work in Emily's Lexus the team believed him when he told them, "Since Emily lives just a few miles away from me, she's kindly offered to drive me to and from work every day." Luckily, the team still doesn't suspect anything.<p>

Neither Emily, nor Reid, like living a lie but they are willingly putting their careers at risk by breaking the FBI's anti-fraternization rule. Of course, they could simply break up, and try to pretend that nothing had happened between them. But their relationship is anything but simple.

It all started five months ago, when Reid invited Emily to a Star Wars marathon on Friday night, at the local theater. It wasn't unusual for various members of the team to hang out with each other after work. After the movies, they walked to Emily's favorite Italian restaurant. All through dinner, they kept laughing and talking about their favorite parts of each movie. They also kept drinking, too much.

By the time they left the restaurant, Emily was glad that she hadn't driven her Lexus. It was pretty late, so Reid hailed a taxi. He gave Emily's address as the first stop, and then his address as the final destination. They were both intoxicated and kept talking and giggling all during the ride. When the taxi pulled up at Emily's apartment building, she insisted that he come upstairs for a strong cup of coffee before heading home.

The next thing she knew they were in her bed, completely naked, and Reid was taking really good care of her. Unlike the shy man she thought she knew, this man had no inhibitions. He had no problem taking control of everything, and giving her exactly what she wanted and needed. She couldn't believe how good a lover he was. He held nothing back, and she gave herself truly and totally to him. She didn't give a damn that he was younger than her.

The next morning, Emily woke up first. She felt no shame, or embarrassment, as she lay naked wrapped in the arms of her young co-worker. She felt free and happy. She hadn't felt like that in a very long time. A few moments later, Reid woke up. They talked about last night as they got out of bed and got dressed. He felt the same as she did. But they both agreed that it could never happen again. Their careers came first.

The team never noticed anything different between them. Everything seemed normal, but it was all an illusion. Neither Emily, nor Reid, could forget their spectacular one-night stand. They both kept trying to resist each other. They even tried dating other people. It didn't work.

Even after four weeks, Emily could hardly look at Reid without thinking of his long fingers and his sensuous lips all over her naked body … him thrusting into her, over and over and over …

Reid's eidetic memory made it even worse for him. He still replayed every single moment of that night … every single inch of her body … every single sound she made … over and over and over …

On Friday night, one months after her night with Reid, Emily went to dinner with Mick Rawson. Mick was a good-looking, funny guy but she couldn't stop comparing him to Reid. So, when they finished eating, she made excuses, brought the date to a pleasant end and went home alone.

As soon as Emily woke up the next morning, she made up her mind. She decided she definitely needed Reid in her life, and in her bed. She showered and dressed quickly, then drove (unannounced) to Reid's apartment. As soon as he opened the door, Emily threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately. Reid kicked the door shut as he backed Emily into his bedroom. They fucked four weeks of sexual tension out of each other before they could even begin to relax. The rest of the weekend was spent naked in bed slowly making love and exploring each other's bodies. The only reason she went home late Sunday night was because she didn't have any spare clothes in her car.

They had a great time at work the next day. Now that the desperate longing was gone, they could work together easily. The team didn't have a new case, so everyone was heading home at the end of the day. Emily pulled Reid aside, and asked him if he wanted to spend the night with her. Of course, he said "yes". They left the office together and before she drove them to her place, they stopped at his apartment to pick up some clothes and stuff. That way, in the morning, they could go straight to work from her place.

Since that night, Reid has spent most of his nights at Emily's.

They were happy together. It was not just because of the great sex, it was something that words couldn't completely describe. Emily felt free with the field, in the bullpen, and even in her home, he didn't treat her differently just because he was sleeping with her. Of course, he worries when they're out on a case. But he always shows her the same respect he shows the rest of the team. He never tells her to slow down, or to let the men handle the situation. And she's very grateful for that. Reid also found his place in this relationship. He could talk to Emily about his fears of becoming like his mother, his traumatic childhood, and his past addiction, without being afraid that she'd ever use his confidences against him.

Outwardly, they would appear to be the perfect couple. And maybe they could be. But the truth was, they never discuss or express their feelings for each other. They could talk for hours about obscure books or the newest psychological paper on human behavior. But when it's comes down to defining their feelings, they both hit the same wall. After basically living together for four months, and being with each other almost 24/7, they still can't look into each other's eyes and say, ''I love you.''

Reid has wanted to tell her many times that he loves her, and that he can't live without her. But he doesn't want to scare her by the intensity of his love. And Emily knows that she loves him. But she can't bring herself to say it out loud because she can't find the right time, or the right words.

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><p><em><strong>Emily's Apartment, Washington, D.C.<strong>_

"Oh God … oooh … Spencer … I'm gonna …'' Emily bit into Reid's shoulder as she came for the third time. She bit him so hard she could taste his blood in her mouth. Reid pounded into her three more times. Then he came powerfully, with his face buried into her neck. He loved staying inside of her, wrapped against her warm body, and feeling her hot breath in his ear. After a few moments, he pulled out of her and rolled onto his back. Grabbing some tissues, he took care of the condom and tossed it into the waste can. Emily rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. They always enjoyed cuddling after they made love. Everything felt just right. After a while, they got out of bed.

''JJ thinks we'll probably have to go to San Diego.'' Reid said, picking up his pants.

''Yeah, they had four victims in seven weeks. I can't believe they didn't call us before now.'' Emily added, as she stretched her back.

''I guess they thought they could handle it without us. Do you want to shower first?" He asked her.

''No, you go. And don't forget to disinfect your wound.'' She replied.

''Yeah, thanks for that, Bella.'' He laughed, as he shut the bathroom door.

Putting on her robe, Emily just smiled as she headed to the kitchen to start breakfast. Last week, she had introduced Reid to the Twilight Saga. After they showered and were dressed for work, they took their time enjoying breakfast together. Reid didn't officially live with Emily, because he never moved out of his own apartment. But for the past four months, he's been spending most of his time at her place. It still amazed Reid that two private, solitary, and independent people (like he and Emily) could live in such harmony.

Reid cleaned up after breakfast, while Emily started checking through their go-bags. They were both pretty sure they'd be flying out today. Not knowing how long the case would last, Emily secured her apartment. After everything was done, she set the alarm and they left.

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><p><em><strong>The Behavior Analysis Unit (BAU), Quantico<strong>_

Reid and Prentiss were the last to arrive in the bullpen. Now that everyone was there, Hotch called the team to the conference room. They had a case.

"This case is from San Diego. Within the last seven weeks, four people have been sedated, kidnapped, tortured then wrapped in plastic and dumped in allies: Bernie Garner, Ted Lopes, George Xander, and Nelly Watson." JJ explained, as each victim's photo appeared on their screens.

"Have the police found any connection between them?" Prentiss asked.

"The police found nothing in common. Different jobs. Different neighborhoods." JJ replied.

"Garcia, try to find a connection between these four victims." Said Hotch.

"Based on the degree of torture, the un-sub took his time inflicting that amount of damage." Rossi stated.

"None of the victims weren't gagged so it had to be done in a sound proofed or isolated area. Did the Medical Examiner suspected sexual assault?" Reid asked.

"There are no remaining physical signs of sexual assault. All trace evidence is gone because the bodies were cleaned before they were dumped." JJ replied.

"Let's go. Wheels up in 40." Hotch said, as he left the conference room.

As the team grabbed up their folders, Prentiss didn't move. She was lost in her thoughts as she continued staring at the folders she was holding.

"Emily, are you alright?" Reid asked.

"Yeah. I'm ok. Let's go." Emily replied. They got their go bags, and headed out with the team.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**A/N Thanks to my beta Taomerline and for your nice reviews.**

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><p><strong>San Diego, CA<strong>

When the first victim was discovered, the case was assigned to Detective Dale Calvin, A.K.A Cal, a handsome old school cop (28 years of services), 6' tall, black, 49 years old and his junior partner, Detective Olivia North, Liv for her co-workers, a beautiful ex-marines, 5'9", white, 33 years old.

Cal and Liv were still feeling slighted because the SDPD had asked the BAU to come in and solve their case. This morning, their Lieutenant gave them explicit orders: Drive two vehicles to the airport, wait for the BAU team to arrive, drive the team to the local FBI's garage to pick up 3 SUVs, escort the team to their hotel and bring them back to headquarters. Cal was still pissed, as he and Liv waited for the team's jet to land. He couldn't stop groaning about all the time they were wasting instead of working on the case.

"How much longer are we going to have to wait for these so-called experts?" Cal groaned.

"Come on, Cal. They're said to be the best profiling team in the country. We can learn a lot from them." Said Liv, smiling.

''Don't get me wrong. I respect the work that profilers do. I just don't like how the FBI always takes over everything, and everyone. I've worked on cases where the FBI was called in. And the only thing I ever learned from them was how they liked their damn coffee!" Cal said, as Liv smirked and laughed at him.

He took a deep breath and continued, "You're still new at this job. You watch what happens … you'll see. And, I'll bet you $100 that at least one of them will hit on you."

Liv stopped laughing then. "If any of those G-men make even one inappropriate comment to me, FBI or not, he's going to taste my fist." She growled.

Now Cal was the one who laughed. He worked with Liv for almost three years and he knew that Liv hates it when men treat her like "a little woman" versus a competent equal. "I do believe that! Anyway, the Lieutenant says six agents are coming. You take three, and I'll take three. Ok?" He said, still laughing.

The jet landed at 10:00 am. Almost immediately, though the terminal was crowded, Cal and Liv spotted the team.

"And the show begins." Cal sighed, as he pulled out his badge. Liv also pulled hers out, as she followed him over to greet the agents from the FBI's top Behavioral Analysis Unit.

The blonde woman stepped forward extending her hand to Cal. ''Hi. I'm Special Agent Jennifer Jareau." JJ then shook hands with both detectives. Next, JJ introduced Hotch, "This is our Unit Chief, Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner." Hotch smiled tightly as he also shook hands with both detectives.

JJ continued the introductions, "And these are SSA Rossi, Prentiss, Morgan, and Dr. Reid." As expected, the detectives couldn't help themselves when their mouths fell open when the young genius was introduced. The detectives led the team out of the terminal and explained their Lieutenant's orders. Cal decided that Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan would ride with him, while JJ, Prentiss, and Reid rode with Liv.

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><p>At 11:00 am, two squad cars and three black SUVs pulled up in front of the police station. The detectives led the team into a large room that had been set up specifically for them. JJ, Morgan, and Prentiss immediately started with the case folders. Reid went straight to the maps and began his geographical diagramming.<p>

According to the M.E.'s report, the victims all had multiple bones fractures and died from a broken neck. However the un-sub's violence seemed to increase because his two last victims had also burn marks from what appeared to be jumper cables. The agents went over everything they had, analyzed the crime scene photos and discussed the geographical data that Reid had plotted on the maps.

At 8:00 pm, Hotch decided to call it a night and said, "Alright, everyone. Let's pack up. That's enough for today. I want everyone back at the hotel, in your rooms, within an hour. Tomorrow's going to be another long day."

The team was packing up and getting ready to leave for the night. Throughout the day, Cal had noticed Liv constantly watching and (whenever she could) gravitating towards the young genius, Dr. Reid. Now that the team had proven themselves, Cal decided he would make amends by inviting the agents out to dinner with him and Liv. This would also be a chance for Liv and Dr. Reid to break the ice, and maybe get to know each other a little better.

"Excuse me, Agent Hotchner." Cal called out, and the whole team looked up at the same time.

"Yes, Detectives." Hotch replied.

"Liv and I were wondering if you and your team would care to join us. There's a fantastic Mexican restaurant not far from your hotel." Cal said, as he smiled at each team member.

The team was prepared for Hotch to pleasantly refuse the offer, and to order them back to the hotel. That was their usual routine while on a case. They would either grab something to eat at the police station, or eat takeout in their hotel rooms. Only if the UnSub was successfully caught or killed, they would enjoy a celebratory dinner when the case was closed. Hotch knew how disappointed and frustrated his team was feeling. None of them felt they had made much progress.

"We usually don't go out to dinner until a case is concluded." He said. One of the team made a point of loudly clearing their throat. Hotch thought it sounded like Morgan.

Hotch took a deep breath and said, "Give us a few minutes to pack up, then we'll follow you." Hotch just shook his head when Morgan said, "Good Call!"

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><p>El Loco Zorro was not the usual Mexican cantina joint. It was a quality restaurant that served fine Mexican Cuisine. The six agents and two detectives were all sitting around one large table enjoying their meal. Hotch appeared to be relaxing, but he wasn't. He was discretely scrutinizing everyone else's behavior.<p>

Hotch had years of experience working with beautiful women. He had to admit to himself, that Liv was absolutely stunning and he wasn't the only one who believed that. Rossi kept smiling at her. She didn't notice him. Morgan couldn't believe how hard he was working, constantly trying to smooth talk Liv but she barely acknowledged that he was even alive. Hotch was fascinated with the interaction between Liv and Reid. It was blatantly clear that she was only interested in the young genius. All along, Cal and JJ maintained a lively conversation, full of lots of laughter.

Hotch finally noticed Emily. She was sitting next to Morgan, and trying her best to not stare at what was going on between Liv and Reid. Then, all of a sudden … Emily's eyes went very wide, and she choked a little on a sip of water. Hotch wondered what that was all about.

No one on the team knew that Emily and Reid had been sleeping together, for a while now. They weren't technically boyfriend and girlfriend because they had never really discussed what was going on between them. They never talked about being exclusive, or anything. Emily didn't know what Reid thought about their situation. She didn't know if Reid considered her as his "secret" girlfriend, his friend with benefits, or just someone to pass the time with until someone better came along. Now, she was sorry that she had never clarified what she was to him.

For a while now, Emily knew it was more than just lust or a crush on her part. She hadn't realized how much more, until tonight. She knew it wasn't the food that was making her nauseous. It was watching that woman that was sitting too close to Reid. That beautiful woman that kept touching Reid's arm. _Her Reid_.

As soon as the waiter placed the next course in front of Emily, she abruptly stood up and excused herself from the table. She walked swiftly to the ladies' room and made it into the stall, just in time. Then she sat on the toilet for a few moments trying to pull it together. When Emily exited the stall, she was surprised to find JJ leaning against the opposite wall.

"Emily, are you alright?" JJ asked, clearly concerned.

"Yeah. I'm fine. It must be the food." Emily said, before she rinsed out her mouth and patted her face with a moistened paper towel.

"Are you sure? You didn't feel well on the jet, and you've barely eaten anything all day. Now, all of a sudden you're nauseous." JJ persisted, gently.

"What do you mean?" Emily barked.

"Are you pregnant, Emily?" JJ asked, bluntly.

"No. I'm not pregnant." Emily replied quickly, before adding "I can't be."

With the stress of her job, Emily's period never came right on time, but it was never this late. She was on birth control and Reid always used condoms. Well, not _always_. More like _most of the time_. The few times they didn't use condoms, it wasn't a big deal because she never skipped her pills. Plus, Emily's doctor had told her that despite being healthy, her chances were slim to none of becoming pregnant without medical assistance.

"Are you positively sure that you aren't pregnant? Are you seeing anyone?" JJ continued. She didn't know whether Emily had been dating anyone, or not. But she did think that Emily might be pregnant.

"Yes, but it's complicated. We haven't been dating for that long, and we never discussed anything about having children." Emily answered, quietly.

JJ wanted Emily to know that she had her support. She didn't know if this guy was a jerk, or not. And she didn't want Emily to feel trapped, or alone.

"You need to be sure before you tell him anything. If you want, we can pick up a pregnancy test tonight. There's a drug store right next to the hotel." JJ offered.

"No. But thanks, JJ. I just want to focus on the case. I'll go see my doctor when we get back to D.C." Emily sighed, as she closed her eyes for a few moments.

JJ hugged Emily and said, "I'll always be there for you, no matter what." After a few awkward seconds, JJ released Emily. They left the ladies room and led the way back to the table.

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><p>Emily remained tense. She needed some answers from Reid before she said anything to him about possibly being pregnant. She may not know how Reid feels about her, but Emily definitely knows how Reid feels about a man's obligations to his child, and its mother. He would immediately propose marriage because that's what honorable men do in Reid's world. But Emily would never marry any man who proposed because he felt obligated. As old fashioned as it sounds, Emily wants to marry for love. The man she marries must love her as much as she loves him. That's just the way it is in Emily's world.<p>

Reid didn't have a chance to talk privately with Emily since they left D.C. And as soon as they sat down in the restaurant, Liv aggressively monopolized all of his attention. He had wanted to go after Emily when she jumped up and left the table. He wanted to tell her not to worry about Liv, especially her current behavior. But JJ had stood quickly and followed Emily to the ladies' room.

Reid knew his team didn't think of him as much of a ladies' man. Even so, he knew enough about women to know when a woman was putting the moves on him. And there was no doubt that was exactly what Liv had been doing all day.

It started the moment they met in the terminal. When JJ introduced Reid to North, the young detective shake his hand and smiled seductively before she finally released it.

When they reached the squad cars, JJ told Emily "Let Reid sit up front. He's got long legs. We'll sit in the back." And by the grace of the gods, they didn't have a single car accident on the way to the garage. He still can't figure out how Liv managed to drive with one eye on the road, and one eye him. Ugh!

All day long it continued whenever they met up. She would stare at him, longingly. She would inch closer to him for no reason. She would keep talking directly to only him. He had no choice but to keep responding. Reid was sure he didn't give her any signs that said he was interested in her. But that didn't stop Liv. And Reid didn't call her on it, and make her stop. He regrets it now because he's been extremely uncomfortable ever since he arrived at the restaurant. Liv keeps touching his arm. One time, she even touched his thigh. And he knew Emily was watching them. She did well covering up the reason _why_ she almost choked on her water.

The last thing Reid wanted was to send mixed signals to Emily, or to hurt her feelings. He thought of her as his girlfriend but he didn't know what Emily thought of him. He had been afraid he would scare her off if he told her how much she meant to him. He couldn't take it anymore. When they get back to D.C., he's going to insist that Emily sit down with him to talk everything out. He's going to express the depth of his feelings and his expectations. And if she doesn't want what he wants … then he'll know that they do not have a real relationship.

Though he's hiding it well, Reid is even more annoyed that no one at the table seems to notice (or care) that JJ and Emily have been gone to the ladies' room for almost 15 minutes. And since Emily stood up from the table, Reid has not said one single word to anyone. He has looked no where except in the direction of the ladies' room. And Liv still hasn't stopped putting the moves on him.

Finally, he saw JJ returning. Emily was walking slowly, lagging a few steps behind JJ. When Emily sat down, she gave everyone a little smile before she focused all of her attention on her place settings. She fooled everyone else with her façade of contentment. But Reid saw right through it. He could tell that Emily was sad and worried. Once everyone finished their dessert and coffee, the team said their good byes to the detectives then everyone got into their vehicles and drove off.

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><p>Reid tossed himself onto his bed as soon as he entered his room. He was grateful for the peace and quiet. He wanted to knock on Emily's door, but that was against the one rule they did have: No fooling around while away on a case. All he could do was send her a text message.<p>

Text from Reid: "Can I see you? We need to talk."

Emily was sitting on her bed staring at Reid's text. Did he really mean the "we need to talk" talk? She was trying to decide if she should reply, or not. Reid was wondering why Emily didn't reply right away. Five minutes later, he received her reply.

Text from Emily: "I'm really tired. See you tomorrow. Good night."

Now, Reid was the one sitting and staring at his phone. He kept re-reading Emily's text. He didn't know if she was really tired, or if she was just avoiding him. Now he was even more pissed off. He had no choice but to respect her decision. He waited another ten minutes hoping she would send him another text. She didn't. Reid gave up. He changed into his sleep clothes and went to bed. He closed his eyes and tried, but he couldn't sleep.

Reid sat right up, with a big grin on his face, when he heard his phone's message tone. He was so glad Emily had changed her mind and replied to him. He grabbed his phone off the nightstand and was about to retrieve the text when he noticed that it displayed:

Text from Unknown Sender: "I enjoyed having dinner with you tonight. You're a really great guy. See you tomorrow. Sweet dreams. Liv"

Reid deleted the message immediately, as he shouted, "What the Fuck?" This was the straw that finally broke him. He was way beyond annoyed. He did not give Liv his phone number. It only took him one more second to figure out that it could only have been Morgan. No one else on his team would ever do such a thing. Morgan had obviously noticed Liv's behavior at dinner, and thought he was doing Reid a favor by hooking him up. Now, Liv was acting like they had a romantic dinner, and shit. This has got to stop!

First thing in the morning, Reid's going to make it VERY clear to Morgan: "Stop giving out my phone number to girls who you want me to hook up with!"

And as soon as Reid gets to the police station, he's going to find that damn detective, take her aside, and make it VERY clear to Liv: "I have a girlfriend! Stop putting the moves on me! I'm NOT interested!"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Thanks to my beta Taomerline and for all reviews and alerts.

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><p>When Reid woke up, he was still mad. He was still 99.9% sure that Morgan was the one who had given his phone number to Detective North. As he was sitting alone in the hotel dining room sipping his morning coffee, he saw his co-worker.<p>

"Morning, pretty boy." Morgan sang out happily, as he went to pour a cup of coffee.

Reid wanted to get this over with before anyone else on the team came down. "Did you give my phone number to Detective North?" Reid asked angrily, as he glared at Morgan's back.

Morgan froze for a few seconds. He was surprised by Reid's angry tone. This was not the end result he had hoped for.

"I thought you'd be pleased." Morgan turned around slowly to face Reid. He took a few steps towards Reid, and continued explaining.

"Everyone could see that Liv was very attracted to you. She kept hitting on you and I know how shy you are. I was just trying to help you out a little. What's the problem? Morgan asked, sincerely. Reid's expression only worsened.

"You gave my private number to a woman we just met. And you think that's not a problem. Are you serious?" Reid practically screamed.

"Look, man. I'm really sorry … I thought you liked her. After dinner, she pulled me aside, and asked if you were available. So, I gave her your number. What happened? Why are you so upset?" Morgan asked, as he sat down across the table from Reid. It was best to keep some distance between them.

Reid was used to Morgan teasing him, sometimes mercilessly … but never cruelly. He knew Morgan would never do anything to intentionally hurt him. He was always trying to get Reid to loosen up and act his age, by having fun "Morgan-style". But Reid couldn't let this go because Liv's actions were causing Emily pain. And he had to put a stop to it, starting now.

"Unlike you, Morgan, I don't feel the need to hit on every woman I meet. Did it ever occur to you that she wasn't my type? And yes, Morgan … I do have a type. And who told you that I was available? You never asked me anything." Reid spoke slowly, as he lowered his eyes to his cup of coffee.

"Are you're dating someone?" Morgan asked, sounding hopeful.

"Yes, I am." Reid replied, starting to blush. He frowned slightly as he continued, "We've been seeing each other for few months now … I don't know if it's serious … but … I don't want to do anything to ruin it." Reid stated, haltingly. He was embarrassed, but proud of himself for opening up to Morgan.

"Reid, I'm happy for you, man. I apologize again for giving out your number. I promise you, I won't do it again… unless you tell me it's ok. Ok? Are we cool again, pretty boy?" Morgan asked, making sad puppy eyes.

Reid quickly accepted Morgan's apology, "Yeah, we're cool. But this is strictly between us. You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone or tease me about it? Do you promise?" Reid asked, pleadingly.

"I promise." Morgan laughed. He was happy they made up. And he was very happy that Reid had someone in his life.

Reid didn't want to talk about his love life anymore. "Let's get another cup of coffee." Reid said, as he stood up. Morgan agreed and followed him over to the coffee pots. The rest of the team soon arrived and everyone sat down to eat breakfast. Reid smiled as he looked around the table, hoping to catch Emily's eye. But she had her façade up in full force as she sat there picking at her breakfast.

"Garcia sent me a text this morning. She found a connection between the victims. Let's hurry this up and get back to the station." Hotch stated, before he took a bite of eggs. The team ate quickly.

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><p>As soon as Cal and Liv joined the team in the situation room, Hotch informed them about Garcia's text then dialed Garcia's number and put the speakers on. On the third ring, Garcia answered:<p>

_"Good morning, crime fighters! I found some interesting things about the victims. At first glance, they appear to be every day ordinary citizens. But I looked deeper, and bingo! Each one has been accused of crimes against children." Garcia then began her recap:_

_"Victim number one, George Xander, age 44: Ten years ago, he lived in Miami. His girlfriend strongly suspected that he was molesting her 11 year old son. She filed a restraining order against him. After Xander was served with papers, he moved to San Diego."_

_"Victim number two, Nelly Watson, age 36: Formerly known as Nelly Conrad. Seven years ago, the NYPD strongly suspected her of helping her husband in the rapes and the murders of the two children she used to babysit. Her husband was killed in prison prior to his trial. She was never arrested because the NYPD didn't have enough evidence to prove her complicity. She moved to San Diego, and changed back to her maiden name."_

_"Victim number_ three,_ Ted Lopes, age 49: Fifteen years ago, he was a high school swimming teacher in Austin. A couple of teenage girls told the principal that Lopes was watching them while they showered. Those weren't the first accusations against him. The police couldn't arrest him because there wasn't any proof. But the school fired him anyway. He moved to San Diego right after that._

_"And the last victim, number four, Bernie Garner, age 57: Five years ago, he owned a bookstore in Denver. He was accused of having inappropriate contract with his neighbor's 8 year old daughter. He fled to San Diego before official complaints were filed." Garcia paused briefly_.

"Garcia, are we talking about facts or rumors?" Rossi asked.

_"I wasn't finished, Sir. I tracked the_ last_ two victims' IP addresses and found memberships to a child porn site. This site is black listed by both the US Justice Department and Interpol. They've been working for years locating and sending the those involved to jail. Garcia, Out." Garcia said, before hanging up._

"I think we're wrong about the profile." Reid stated, drawing everyone's attention "We thought the UnSub might be a sadist because the level of torture had increased with the last two victims, Lopes and Garner but according to the M.E.'s reports: Xander and Watson showed signs of beating but no real tortures." Reid asked, more to himself than anyone else.

As he detectives and the team watched the young genius engaged in his thought process, Reid continued, "I mean... Xander and Watson's injuries were bad but, nothing compared to Lopes and Garner. So, why did the UnSub increase his level of torture?" Reid paused, and then he asked those in the room,

"The pleasure? The thrill?" JJ asked, unsure of herself.

"No, I don't think so. I think the real questions is what's the true purpose of torture?"

"Answers!" Prentiss asserted, confidently. "Somehow, the UnSub discovered that Lopes was a member of that porn site. He tortured him to get the names of other members living they knew in San Diego. That's how he found Garner!"

Hotch said, "Which means … he may have a list of future victims." As soon as he said that, Hotch felt conflicted, just like everyone else. But he put his personal feelings aside, and expected the detectives and the team to do likewise. "Listen, everyone. It looks like this UnSub is killing only the worst of humanity. But we have a job to do. We have to catch this UnSub." Hotch made sure to make eye contact with everyone in the room. He received head nods of acknowledgement.

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><p>For years now, Zadig Carter has maintained the same morning routine. He gets up, runs three miles, takes a shower, gets dressed then eats breakfast while he watches the morning news on TV. It was his sacred morning ritual and he refused to change the way it. Even with the FBI on the hunt for him, and a guest secured in his basement.<p>

While he was running, Zadig thought about the things he still had to do. He still had a body that needed to be dumped. With the FBI in town, and the SDPD having doubled their patrols, he needed to be extra cautious. Zadig has already decided where and when he's going to dispose of the body.

Zadig wasn't really worried about the federal presence. At first, he was a little concerned when the local media reported that the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit had been called-in to hunt down the serial killer in San Diego (AKA him). He doesn't think the FBI will catch him, because he left no forensic evidence or witnesses and even if they did, he had alibis and the best lawyer in the country.

Plus, the BAU only sticks around for about two weeks. If they can't solve the case by then, it's passed back to the local police so all he had to do was to postpone his work until the FBI drops the case.

* * *

><p>Garcia's information about the victims' involvement in child pornography had shed new light on the case. Hotch passed this information onto Police Lieutenant Esposito. CSU teams were sent to reprocess each of the victims' last known residences.<p>

Emily was relieved because she'd be away from Reid for a big part of the day. So far, she'd managed to avoid being alone with him. She can't keep her focus on the case when he's around her for too long. Despite what she texted last night, she did want to talk to him. She wanted to tell him how she felt about him, and that she might be pregnant.

But she didn't know how to start that conversation. Reid was the most logical person she knew. Even though he grew up listening to his mother reading poetry and stories about love, Reid seemed to live outside of love. Emily had no idea how she was going to make him believe that she truly did love him. She couldn't even explain it to herself. Telling Reid she loved him was going to be the hardest part of their conversation. She already knew how the pregnancy discussion would go. Reid was a genius and a statistics expert, he had known that a pregnancy could result even though he usually wore a condom.

Ever since she had talked with JJ about possibly being pregnant, Emily had started imagining herself as a mother. She wasn't sure about the strength of her maternal instinct, but she has no doubt about Reid's parenting skills. Many times, she had watched him interacting with his godson, Henry. Reid will be a fantastically caring and loving father. Emily's not afraid of Reid's reaction. That's why she wants to take the test with him present. Because, regardless of the outcome, she wants that moment to be theirs, and not just hers.

Emily knows that Reid will do everything to give his child the family that he never had. Her practical side is ok with that. Reid has most of the qualifications required to be the perfect husband: He's smart, handsome, caring, and has a well-paying job. He's a good cook, and he's great in bed. The only thing Emily is not sure of is whether Reid loves her as much as she requires. She will not marry him just for the sake of their (possible) child. Emily decided she had to have that heart-to-heart talk with Reid very soon. And until then, making plans was pointless. She needed to focus on the case.

* * *

><p>Hotch instructed Reid to keep working the geographical data, along with anything new that came in. And for JJ to stay in close touch with Garcia, and keep the media at bay. Hotch and Morgan then left to catch up with the CSU teams.<p>

It was early evening when Hotch asked Cal and Liv to gather the police officers in the conference room. The team was ready to give the profile: "This UnSub is a man between the ages of 35 to 50. He's very intelligent, and in excellent physical condition. He has access to a basement or an isolated area. This UnSub targeting suspected pedophiles which means that he, or someone he knows, was sexually abused as a child. He's very familiar with San Diego. He disposed of the bodies in bad neighborhoods counting on any possible witness to mind their own business. That's all, for now. Thank you." The police officers disbanded.

In the evening, Hotch instructed the team to return to their hotel rooms. He told them to try to clear their heads and have a good night's sleep. Even though he already knew that his team will keep working back at the hotel, just like he will. It was going to be difficult identifying, catching, and convicting this UnSub because, so far, he didn't made any mistakes.

* * *

><p>Reid sat on his bed reviewing the case folders. It wasn't necessary because he had already memorized everything in the folders. He was trying to keep his mind off of Emily. She had avoided him all day. The few times she did speak directly to him, it was strictly about the case. Reid couldn't stop wondering what he had done to deserve her treating him like that. Naturally pessimistic, he keeps thinking that she wants to break up with him. Deep down, he always knew that day would come sooner, or later.<p>

he wasn't the ideal boyfriend for Emily: He doesn't like to go out, to dance, or very sociable. He doesn't share most people's sense of humor. On another hand, Emily is his opposite. She likes meeting new people. She likes to go out and have what most people consider fun. She likes to lose herself sometimes, and just be carefree. Sure, they have some things in common: They both love old movies and foreign films. They are passionate about their jobs. They understand the importance of privacy. And Emily is a nerd, though she doesn't share that fact with a lot of people. Regardless, Reid is sure that Emily is going to tire of him, and end things between them.

At 10 PM, there was a knock on Reid's door. He was glad to be interrupted from his depressing thoughts. He assumed it was one of his team wanting to talk about the case. But when he opened the door, he was shocked to see Detective North. She was smiling as she stood there holding a cup of coffee in each hand.

"Detective North! Has there been a breakthrough in the case?" Reid tried to sound polite, despite the fact that he was angry about her unexpected presence. During the day, he didn't have the opportunity to discretely pull Detective North aside to talk with her.

"Hi, Dr. Reid. Please, call me Liv. I'm not here about the case. I happened to be in the neighborhood, so I decided to stop by and pay you a visit." Liv said, all the while looking into Reid's eyes and smiling at him then proceeded to walk past him into his room, without being invited.

"Coffee?" Liv asked, with an even bigger smile.

There were two things that stopped Reid from demanding that Liv leave his room immediately. First, he really wanted the coffee, it smelled great. And second, here was his opportunity to make it clear her that he wasn't interested. He still wanted Liv to stop hitting on him.

He wasn't sure how he should do this. Usually, he was the one being rejected and he didn't want to hurt her, but he did need to set her straight. So, he opted to just tell her the truth, as much as he could. He took a deep breath, as he slowly closed the door. When he turned around, he was surprised to see Liv sitting on the edge of his bed offering him one of the coffees. Reid wore a slight grimace as he accepted the coffee. After he sipped some, he couldn't help but smile. The coffee was just the way he liked it.

Seeing Reid's surprised expression, Liv said, "You and your team aren't the only ones who profile."

When Reid gave a small chuckle, she continued, "You're probably wondering why I'm here at this late hour. It's simple. I like you. I sent you a text message last night, but you haven't replied. So, I came to ask you 'Why?'" Liv sipped her coffee, as she sat there waiting for her answer.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to hurt your feelings … but I didn't give you my phone number. And to be honest, I'm not interested in you, at all." Reid tried to sound gentle, even though the words were not kind.

"Oh, God! Are you gay?" Liv blurted out.

"What? Just because a man isn't interested in you … you automatically think he's gay? Are you serious?" Reid exclaimed.

"Well … Yes … That's been my experience." Liv replied, sullenly.

"Sorry to ruin your grand theory. But, no, I am not gay." Reid stated, adamantly. "I'm just not interested in anything other than a professional relationship with you." He wished she would just leave. He didn't want this to turn into an argument.

"Why not? Does the FBI forbid dating between agents and the local cops they work with?" Liv asked. She was not willing to leave before she got a clear answer.

"No. It's not forbidden." Reid closed his eyes for a moment, as he took a deep breath. He continued, "Look! You're very beautiful, and you seem like a nice person. But I'm deeply in love with someone else and I want you to stop hitting on me! I'm not interested in you. Do you understand?" Reid was proud of himself. He had realized long ago that he really was in love. But this was the first time he told someone else. He had wanted Emily to be the first one to know. But somehow it was much easier to let a stranger know, than it was to tell Emily.

Liv was disappointed by his rejection but she came to the conclusion that Reid was being honest with her and sadly accepted the fact that he wasn't interested in her.

"Okay, I understand now, Dr. Reid." Liv replied. She tilted her head, and gave him a sweet smile as she said, "I apologize for being so aggressive. I know we've just met, but I can tell that you're a good man. " Liv raised her coffee toward Reid "So, tell me about the love of your life. What's she like?" she asked, happily.

Though she admired Reid even more now because he was being faithful to the woman he loved. She was intrigued, and wanted to know more about this woman who held Reid's heart.

Reid grinned widely. He couldn't believe they were sitting here talking about his love life. It felt strange, but it also felt nice being able to talk about his feelings for Emily. "She's smart, gorgeous, sexy, and caring. She's strong and vulnerable at the same time. She has a great sense of humor. She's every straight man's dream girl. We started dating four months ago. I'm in love with her, but I'm not sure how serious she is about me." He ended shyly, and Liv gave him a sympathetic look.

Reid continued, "I mean … I know that she cares about me. I just don't know if she loves me. I'm younger than her and we work together. The FBI has anti-fraternization rules. We could both lose our jobs." He finished, sadly.

After listening to this gentle soul talk about the woman he loved, with such joy and sadness, Liv asked gently, "Have you told her you love her?"

"Not yet. I'm afraid she'll say that she doesn't love me. I know I'm being stupid. But I'd rather stay with her and not know, than to make her leave me. I need to figure out if we want and need the same things in life … what we want in the future. Right now, all I know for sure is for the first time in my life … I'm truly happy. And I don't want to screw this up." Reid replied. Liv thought he looked so young and innocent. It touched her heart.

Reid was about to say something else, but was interrupted when someone knocked on the door. When he opened the door, he saw the last person he expected to see.

"Hi, Spencer. I need to talk to you …" Emily began slowly before she gasped slightly, when she saw Detective North sitting comfortably on Reid's bed. Emily bowed her head, and then spoke quickly, "I didn't know you had company … Sorry for disturbing you … Goodnight." Emily refused to cry in front of Reid while that woman sat on his bed. She turned around and started walking swiftly towards her room.

"Emily! What's the matter? You said you needed to talk … so let's talk." Reid called out, anxiously. He knew Emily had seen Liv sitting on his bed. He didn't know what to do.

Emily stopped, turned around, and said, "Never mind, Reid. It doesn't matter, it was nothing! It's impolite to keep your guest waiting!" She stood where she was and glared at him, while holding back her tears.

"Please, Emily … It's not what it looks like! Let me explain! Please!" Reid practically begged.

"There's nothing to explain! It's not as if we're a real couple! So, you can see who you want! Goodnight, Reid!" As the tears started to fall, Emily spun around and rushed off to her room.

Reid was left standing alone in the hotel hallway. His eyes flooded with tears, as he returned to his room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Thanks to my beta but also to all your nice reviews and alerts.**

* * *

><p>When Emily woke up the following morning, she was exhausted. Her head was killing her and she barely slept. She laid on her bed with her eyes closed and all she wanted was to stay in bed. She thought about calling Hotch and saying she was sick, but she didn't. If she called-in sick, her team would be concerned and ask questions. She did not want to have to deal with that on top of everything else. She had to get ready for work, and to prepare her professional façade for her team and especially for Reid. So, she finally got up.<p>

As she prepared herself, she thought about last night. Seeing North sitting on Reid's bed really hurt her and she became very worried about what was going on between Reid and Detective North but she also started to be anxious about finding out if she was pregnant and what to do if she was.

That's why she went in Reid's room, yesterday. She wanted to tell Reid about her possible pregnancy and she also needed to hear out loud that he'll support her but when she saw Detective North … in his room … sitting on his bed … it was too much for her, she just snapped and said things she didn't mean.

As she left her room to join the team, she wished this damn case was over so they could go home and if Reid and her had any kind of future together, pregnant or not.

* * *

><p>Reid didn't felt very well neither, he was still hurting and sad by Emily's words. Their relationship was a real one and did matter a lot for him.<p>

He could understand that Emily could have be hurt and upset by what she saw but her reaction was out of proportion. She didn't let him the opportunity to explain himself. She overreacted and she didn't know that he had rejected Liv and finally put an end to her hitting on him. He wanted to clear the area with Emily when they took their breakfast but judging by her way she ignored him, he knew that she was still mad at him and that she wasn't going to listen to him.

In the case room, as he was working on the geographic profile Reid had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't heard Hotch call his name twice already.

"Reid !" Hotch called, in a raised voice.

"Yes, Hotch." Reid finally responded, embarrassed about not paying attention.

"What can you tell us about the geographical profile?" Hotch asked. He didn't let it show, but he was concerned about Reid's lack of focus.

"Each location is in a derelict high crime area. I think the UnSub chose those locations symbolically and pragmatically. He sees the victims as filthy and worthless. He tossed all his victims in the middle of the night and the only persons who could witness that were drug dealers, prostitutes, and gang members so no very good and credible witnesses." Reid responded rapidly, in his usual manner.

"I agree with Reid. We need to re-check those areas, tonight. See if anyone saw anything before the bodies were discovered. I need to speak with Lieutenant Esposito." Hotch stated.

He walked towards the door but stopped when Reid call out to him and said "I need to talk to you about something personal. I know we're in the middle of a case, but can I speak with you privately, later on?"

In addition to his troubles with Emily, Reid was also worried about his mother's health. Her doctor had called him early in the morning to tell him that his mother wasn't responding to her treatment anymore. The doctor needed to meet with him face-to-face, as soon as possible. Reid would have preferred keeping his mother's problems to himself, but now he would need time off as soon as this case was over.

"Yes, of course. Anytime." Hotch replied, knowing that this had to be about something very important for Reid to approach him like this in the middle of a case.

* * *

><p>"We have a leak. Someone in this precinct talked to a TV news journalist. Before noon, every media outlet in San Diego is going to reveal that the victims were child sex offenders and that the killer is only hunting pedophiles." JJ announced, rushing into the case room where the team was talking about their ( lack of ) progress.<p>

"Great! That's all we need." Morgan exclaimed angry.

"JJ, set up a press conference, immediately." Hotch instructed.

As a former prosecutor, Hotch was well aware of the fact that once the public learned that the victims were child molesters, it would be almost impossible to get a jury to agree to a life sentence for this UnSub. Especially, if the jury gets to see the disgusting photos and videos made by the victims and discovered in their house.

Medias could sway the public opinion so deeply that no jury in their right mind will convinct the UnSub. Hotch also realized that this UnSub might not even have a trial. At the moment, the team was no closer to catching him than they were when they arrived in San Diego.

* * *

><p>JJ was tired by the press conference but happy that the reporters all left the Police precinth's hall. She went to the break room for a badly needed cup of coffee. Emily was quietly sitting at one of the tables, still looking exhausted. JJ poured herself a cup of black coffee then went to sit with Emily.<p>

"Hey, Em. Are you OK?" JJ asked, as she sat down.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." Emily replied, though she was still nauseous.

"Did you take the test yet?" JJ whispered, because they weren't alone in the break room.

"I already told you I'm waiting until we go home." Emily responded, in an irritated tone.

JJ knows that Emily was a very private person but she was sure that Emily wanted someone to talk to about this. That's why she kept pushing Emily to talk.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do if you are pregnant ? I mean, do you think the father will help ?" JJ asked, then waited patiently for Emily to respond.

"If I am pregnant, I'm going to resign from the BAU." Emily stated. JJ looked shocked and was about to say something, but Emily continued, "No offense to you or Hotch but I don't think that you could be a good parent and be in the BAU. My mother had a very busy and demanding career and she spent more time on her job than with me. I won't let any child of mine grow up feeling like that. And yes, the father is a great man. I know he'll be supportive but I don't want him to stay with me just because I'm pregnant." Emily stared into her coffee cup when she finished speaking.

"I understand, Em. But …" JJ started to ask another personal question. But Emily cut her off.

"Can we please talk about something else?" Emily stated. She was annoyed with this conversation.

"Sure." JJ said. So, she thought she'd make Emily laugh over some good gossip. That always worked.

"Have you noticed Detective North hitting on Spence ? You can tell she's really into him." JJ laughed. Emily tried not to look annoyed. JJ misinterpreted Emily's expression, and continued on talking.

"Do you think he slept with her already? Or is going to before we leave?" JJ asked, all wide-eyed and interested in Emily's opinion.

"Reid isn't that kind of guy." Emily said, more to herself than to JJ.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. It's always the quiet ones who surprise you. We all know that Spence is shy, and doesn't chase women down, or anything. But he does like beautiful women. And Liv seems the kind of woman who knows what she wants, and she wants Spence, that's for sure ! I don't know if they've actually slept together yet but I did see her leaving his room late last night. He deserves some fun. I say 'go for it!'" JJ laughed out loud.

Emily couldn't bear to listen to this anymore. She was already sad enough. But to have to listen to JJ talk about Reid's sex life was way too much to handle. She didn't want to end up crying, so she made her escape.

"Sorry, JJ. I have to go. Hotch asked me to review some reports. See you later." Emily half smiled as she stood up and left the room quickly.

* * *

><p>Hotch gathered the team and the two detectives into the case room. "Listen, everyone. We're going to re-check the crime scenes and see if anyone is willing to talk to us. JJ and Morgan, will take the first location. Reid and Detective North will take the second location. Detective North, Lt. Esposito said you used to work Vice. I think your experience will come in handy with the prostitutes. And Reid, work your magic skills with those ladies. Prentiss and Dave, you take the third location. Detective Calvin and I will take the fourth location. Let's head out." Hotch stood as he finished speaking.<p>

A couple of hours later, Reid called Hotch. Neither he, nor Liv, found any new evidence or witnesses. No one in the area saw anything, or they just didn't want to talk to the authorities. Hotch gave Reid the OK to call it a night.

"Thank goodness! We're done for the night. I can't wait to get back to the hotel. I'm exhausted." Reid said, as he walked towards Liv's car.

On the way to Reid's hotel, Liv said, "Hey, Reid. I need a drink. I know a nice bar, care to join me?"

"OK. But, just one drink. After that you have to drive me straight to the hotel." Reid replied.

Ever since they had talked last night and Liv agreed to back off, Reid felt comfortable working with her. He didn't see anything wrong with going for a drink. And after today, Reid really needed a drink. He was drained from constantly worrying about Emily and his mother.

Twenty minutes later, Reid and Liv were quietly sitting in a booth nursing their drinks. Liv had ordered a beer for herself and a brandy for Reid.

"Can I ask you a question?" Liv asked.

"Technically, you just did. But, go on." Reid replied, smiling.

"What did your boss mean when he said you have magic skills with prostitutes ?" Liv asked. She had been intrigued ever since Hotch said that.

"My team teases me about the fact that prostitutes always want to talk to me, and not to my co-workers. It's just a stupid joke." Reid replied. He was a little embarrassed, so he took a big gulp of his brandy.

"I can see why. I worked Vice for two years and I learned that hookers have a sixth sense. They usually know what kind of guy they're dealing with. So, when they see you … they see a guy who's nice and gentle." Liv said, smiling at him sweetly. Liv knew she shouldn't do it, but it was all that she could think about. The one beer she was still drinking had nothing to do with it. All of a sudden, Liv leaned over and began kissing Reid on his lips.

Reid had only drunk half his brandy. He wasn't intoxicated, but he was feeling very relaxed. Apparently too relaxed, because at first he didn't respond to the kiss, but then …

Reid placed his hand at the back of Liv's neck and pulled her further into a much deeper kiss. The kiss lasted quite a few seconds. Although Liv seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the kiss, Reid wasn't. In fact, he felt nothing while he continued to kiss Liv. All he could think about was how he felt whenever he and Emily kissed. Slowly, while removing his hand from the back of Liv's neck, Reid broke the kiss and pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Liv. I can't do this." Reid said, looking into his brandy glass. He was feeling very guilty for having cheated on Emily.

"No, it's my fault. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kiss you, you already told me that you're a girlfriend." Liv apologized before she asked rhetoricially "It's Agent Prentiss, isn't it ? The woman you talked about last night."

Seeing no point of lying, he confessed, "Yes, it's Emily. But she's been ignoring me ever since last night and I don't know why."

"How can you not know why ? Obviously she got jealous when she saw me in your room." Liv stated, plainly.

"No. That's not it. She can't be jealous. Last night she said that what we had didn't matter … That we were nothing. What is obvious, now … is that she doesn't love me." Reid explained, feeling even worse than before.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it, Reid. She was just upset that I was sitting on your bed. Any woman would be. I know I'd be mad as hell if I was her!" Liv said, trying to assure him. "Reid, listen to me carefully. You have to man-up and tell her straight out that you're in love with her. And then ask her if she's in love with you. It's the only way to figure out her feelings for you."

"Yeah, I know." Reid said, without much conviction. He drank down what was left of his brandy, and tried to smile a little.

"Come on. Let's get you back to your hotel." Liv said, taking charge.

* * *

><p>It was a quiet ride back to the hotel. Reid sat deep in contemplation. And Liv left him to it. When she pulled in front of the hotel, Reid unbuckled his seatbelt and looked over at Liv.<p>

"Thanks, Liv. For the drink, for the ride, and especially for the advice. Goodnight." Reid said, as he opened the car door.

"You're more than welcome, Reid. Goodnight. And good luck with your woman." Liv said.

"Drive safe." Reid said, as he closed the door and waved her on her way.

Reid pulled his phone from his pocket as he entered the hotel. He placed a call as he walked towards the elevators. After the second ring, he was about to hang up because it was late.

"Reid ?"

"Hi. Is it too late to talk?" Reid asked.

"No. It's not. Come on up."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Thanks to my beta and to all yours reviews. It's very nice.**

* * *

><p>As Reid entered the elevator, he thought of Liv's advice about working things out with Emily. He really did want to go and see Emily right now, but he was too afraid of her rejection. He would be of no further use on the case if she broke his heart completely. It would have to wait until they returned home. Reid slowly made his way down the hallway.<p>

Hotch opened his door when he heard Reid knocking quietly. "Come in, Reid."

"Hi, Hotch. I'm sorry to bother you." Reid said, softly.

"You are never a bother, Reid. Is this about the case, or that matter you wanted to talk about?" Hotch stated, as he directed Reid towards a chair.

"It's not about the case. It's personal. Hotch, I hate to ask for favors … but I really need to take time off as soon as this case is over. Is that ok?" Reid asked, apologetically.

Having worked together for years, it was clear to Hotch that something was wrong. The only reason that Reid had ever suddenly asked for time off was due to mother's health.

"Of course it's ok, Reid. Is your mother alright?" Hotch asked, as he sat down on the edge of his bed.

"My mom's medication treatment has stopped working. Her doctor called and needs to meet with me face to face so I need to take at least 2 weeks of vacation. I know it's a lot but I need them." Reid finished speaking.

"You can take as much time as you need, Reid. But first you'll have to return to Quantico with us. I'll approve your leave of absence and you can take off as soon as you complete your report." Hotch said, smiling at Reid. He watched as Reid's anxiety level went down a few notches.

"Thanks, Hotch." Reid said, sincerely.

"We might be headed back before this case is solved." Hotch stated.

"Why do you say that?" Reid asked, looking puzzled.

"It's been all over the news that the killer is a vigilante who doesn't kill innocent people. The Mayor and the Chief of Police are not happy with the way all the media attention is swaying the public's opinion. The Mayor contacted the Director of the FBI, and a countdown has started. If we don't catch this UnSub in the end of the week, the SDPD will officially take back their case. We've already given the police the profile and our presence isn't mandatory to pursuit the case." Hotch stated, as Reid stood up and walked over to the desk.

Hotch continued, "I've had copies made of the photos and the videos found in the victims' residences. The FBI will work on identifying the children in those photos and videos, as they begin a new investigation of that website." Hotch said, with a sigh as he frowned.

They both stood there for a few seconds, frowning about the way the case was going. Reid figured it was time to go. "It's getting late … I should go. Thanks again for your time, Hotch." Reid said, as he headed towards the door.

"You know you can come to me anytime you need." Hotch said, with a small smile.

As Hotch opened the door, Reid stopped and said, "I don't want the rest of the team to know about my mom's problem. Can we keep this between us ?" Reid asked, looking into Hotch's eyes.

Hotch knows that Reid needs his privacy, especially regarding his mother's situation. Reid isn't ashamed of her. He just doesn't want pity or sympathy from this team.

"We'll do just that. Goodnight, Reid." Hotch smiled as Reid stepped through the doorway.

"Goodnight, Hotch." Reid replied. He turned and walked slowly down the hallway to his room.

* * *

><p>The next morning Emily awoke well rested. It was her first good night's sleep since arriving in San Diego. Emily may have felt well rested but she was still annoyed. It had been so hard for her to keep up her façade when Hotch paired Reid with Detective North. Inside she seethed with jealousy. She had hardly stop thinking about it while she and Rossi were out reviewing the crime scene.<p>

JJ's comments about Reid are still freaking Emily out. She's praying that Reid didn't and isn't going to sleep with Detective North. Emily keeps thinking about the fact that in the beginning she was the one who had initiated things with Reid. She hadn't forced herself on him and he'd been very receptive to her advances. Now Emily thinks that Reid isn't capable of saying no to an attractive woman who wants him. And as JJ so kindly pointed out, Detective North is not afraid to boldly pursue Reid.

Emily does not want to lose Reid. Beside her late friend, Matthew Benton, Reid was the only other man she's been involved with that makes her feel good about herself. Being with Reid is different because he is so different. With Reid, Emily finally feels free to express herself completely. She can confess to him about certain aspects of her life that she's not too proud of, without fear of him judging her.

It had pleased Emily that Reid always treated her like an equal at work and at home. But that may part of her problem. She's never seen him get jealous when other men try to hit on her. Now she wishes that Reid would behave like a caveman, and tell her that she belongs to him. Anything that would show her that he loves her and doesn't want to lose her. Because she definitely does not want to lose him, if she hasn't already.

She was putting on her shoes when she heard Morgan's familiar drumming on her door. It was 7:30 am which could only mean they had a new lead in the case, or a new victim. Quickly checking her phone, she sees that she's missed five calls from him and JJ. Emily opened the door and said, "Hey, Morgan. What's up?"

"Hey, Prentiss. It looks like our UnSub struck again. A couple of sanitation men found a dead body in an alley." Morgan responded unhappily as he steps into her room.

Suddenly, Emily cursed herself silently. She's been so caught up worrying about her relationship with Reid that she never thought about how this case was affecting Morgan. The team knows that Morgan doesn't like them to bring up the fact that he was a victim of sexual abuse. He may likes talking about his love life, but he considers his abuse as off-limits for discussion.

"How are you holding up?" Emily asked gently. She wasn't trying to talk about it. She just wanted Morgan to know that she understood that this case brought up bad memories for him.

"What do you mean?" Morgan asked. Since the team found out about the victims' past, Morgan was trying to pretend that everything was fine, that this case hadn't opened old wounds but it was difficult for him to feel compassion for these people.

"Don't play the dumb card with me, Morgan. You know perfectly well what I'm talking about." Emily stated.

"Look, Prentiss. I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. Do I have empathy for the Un-Sub and not his victims? Maybe I do, but that's not going to stop me for doing my job. So, get ready. I'll wait for you outside. The others are already in the lobby." Morgan replied quickly, as he turned and left Emily's room.

* * *

><p>Detective Calvin was very familiar with the tough neighborhood where the latest victim was discovered. He had patrolled this area for many years before he earned his promotion to homicide. He had arrived at the crime scene an hour ahead of the BAU team.<p>

"So. What do we have?" Said Rossi, as he bent down to examine the body. It's evident that this victim was tortured and has several broken bones.

"According to the driver's license found on him, the victim is Thomas Jordan, age 37, lives in San Francisco but we scanned his fingerprints. His real name was Chuck Magnum, age 38. He did 8 years in Atlanta's state prison for the rape of his nine years old niece. He finished his sentence three years ago. After that nothing." Cal read from his notes. He continued, "I sent the CSI team and the tech analysts to search his apartment. The M.E. is ready to take the body, if you and your team are done."

"Thank you, Detective. The M.E. can remove the body now." Said Hotch. He turned to his team and gave the following instructions: "Morgan and Prentiss, you two go see what the CSI team comes up with. JJ and Reid, go back to the precinct and call Garcia. I want everything she can find out about this victim. I want you to stay there and wait for the M.E's preliminary report. Rossi and I, along with Detective Calvin and Detective North, are going to take a closer look around the area. We'll all meet for a briefing later."

* * *

><p>After few hours of work, the team, Cal, and Liv returned to the case room. Hotch placed a call to Garcia.<p>

_"You've reached Penelope Garcia in the FBI's Office of Supreme Genius." Garcia quipped, when she answered her phone._

"Garcia, you're on speaker. Tell us what you've found." Hotch said.

_"Hi, everyone. As Detective Calvin told you, Chuck Magnum was living under a false name. Born and raised in Atlanta. For a year, he sexually abused his 9 year old niece. She was too afraid to tell anyone, but one day her teacher got her to talk. The teacher reported the abuse to the police, and they arrested him. He was afraid that his sister and her husband would follow through on their vow to kill him so he confessed. He was convicted and spent 8 years in the Atlanta State Penitentiary. He was released from prison three years ago, but he disappeared. At the same time, a Thomas Jordan arrived in San Diego and took a job working in a slaughterhouse. But the real Thomas Jordan died in a car crash 20 years ago. Also, this guy and victim number four, Bernie Garner, communicated through email. The last three victims exchanged super-encrypted emails. It's going to take a while before I can crack them. So, bye-bye!"_ Garcia said, before she disconnected the call.

"Listen up. We don't have any new information, so I'm calling it a night. We'll meet in the hotel lobby at 7:00 A.M." Hotch said to his team. He's exhausted. He doesn't know how to solve this case. The Un-Sub knows his victims' pasts, and he never leaves any evidence or witnesses.

Plus, the FBI's Director has already called him twice to find out how much progress they've made on the case. Hotch only told Reid about the deadline. He doesn't want to discourage the team any more than they already are. He knows that Reid is distracted by his mother, and something else is bothering him as well … Prentiss is looking more ill each day … Morgan is obviously affected because of his past … JJ is being hounded almost every five minutes by the media wanting updates … Rossi has been looking grimmer than usual.

* * *

><p>At 10:00 pm, Emily was in her room wondering what Reid was doing. She wanted to know if he was alone, or was Detective North in his room … again!<p>

She knew it was crazy to go and spy on him, but she couldn't stop herself. Reid wouldn't know she was spying on him if she said she was just there to get his copy of the M.E.'s report. That sounded believable to her.

Emily walked down the hallway and knocked on Reid's door. As she was left waiting in front of her lover's door she began imagining the worst case scenarios. Why hasn't he opened the door yet? Is that woman in there? Is he kissing and touching Detective North the way he used to kiss and touch her? What's going on in there?


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**A/N: Thanks to my beta and for all your reviews. Like most of CM fans I'm sad about Paget's leaving and wish her good luck for her future.**

* * *

><p>Emily was about to knock again when Reid finally opened the door and let her into his room. "Sorry, I didn't hear you knocking. I was in the shower." Reid apologized, anxiously as he closed the door.<p>

Emily entered the room and leaned against a wall. She quickly scanned the room. The bed was made and there wasn't any evidence of Detective North having been there. Breathing a deep sigh of relief she turned to look at Reid. His hair was wet, and he was wearing a navy blue t-shirt and pajama bottoms. Emily smiled as she remembered the old-fashioned pajama sets Reid used to wear when they first started dating. She was glad when he started feeling more comfortable about his body enough to wear more casual and comfortable night clothes. Emily had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear what Reid said.

Reid noticed that Emily was just standing there, staring at his body with a strange little smile on her face. "Emily! What do you want?" Reid asked again.

_'You!_' Emily thought to herself, but she didn't dare state that. Looking off to the side and using as normal a tone as she could manage, Emily said, "I need the M.E.'s primary report."

Reid could tell that Emily wasn't telling him the whole truth. He stepped close to her and placed his palms onto the wall on each side of her head.

"Emily, what do you want!" Reid re-asked his question with insistence. If it was anyone other than Reid, Emily might have felt threatened by Reid's tone and actions. Finally, she looked him straight in the eyes and asked, "Did you fuck North?"

For a moment, Reid was speechless. He knows Emily can swear like a sailor in several different languages. What shocked him was that she actually thought he would sleep with a woman who he barely knew. Reid closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath then said, "No! I didn't sleep with her. And I don't want to. She's nice, but she isn't my type." Reid wanted to also add 'and she's not you.' but bit his tongue to stop himself.

Neither knew who kissed who first, but they were kissing hungrily and passionately. Reid had Emily pressed up against the wall. He broke the kiss and trailed his lips up her jawline and sucked her neck. Emily grabbed the hem of Reid's t-shirt and pulled it up. They were both breathing heavily. He asked with his eyes 'are you sure?' because they had agreed to no sex while working on cases.

Reid got his answer when Emily shoved him against the door. She began kissing his chest with one hand, while her other hand stroked his cock. Reid quickly back-stepped Emily until they reached his bed and sat down with Emily straddling him.

Emily rolled her hips and Reid moaned loudly. He was already hard and it made her all hot and wet. Reid pulled her red v-neck over her head as he kissed along her cleavage. He removed her bra and placed kisses all over her breasts. Emily held Reid's head as he sucked and twisted her rock hard nipples. She sighed, and moaned, and rolled her hips harder. Reid reached down, unbuttoned, and unzipped Emily's pants.

Reid slid in his hand and caressed her with his fingers, sliding through her folds. Emily gasped when Reid started finger fucking her with two of his magical fingers. She thrust her hips back and forth seeking greater friction. Panting, she leaned her head onto his shoulder and whispered, "Spencer. More." Reid kissed her deeply as he added a third finger. Emily's moans increased when he rubbed his thumb repeated over and around her clit. When he felt her body tighten and start to quiver, Reid pulled his fingers out of her. He slowly pulled his hand out of her pants. They both sighed at the loss.

Emily pushed Reid onto his back. He ran his fingers through her hair as she kissed her way down from his chest to his abdomen. But when she slid her fingers under the waistband of his pajamas, he stopped her. Reid quickly grabbed both of her wrists and rolled Emily onto her back. She likes when he takes charge. He knows her body so well. He was a generous lover and she desperately wanted to feel him inside of her.

Reid let go of Emily's wrists and stood up. She watched as he took off her shoes, her pants, and her panties. Emily squirmed deliciously as Reid looked at her from head to toe. She licked her lips as she stared at his rock hard leaking cock. She positioned herself in the middle of the bed and spread her legs.

Reid had a primal need to bury his throbbing cock deep inside of her. He loves hearing her scream his name over and over when she came. He stroked himself twice then he climbed onto the bed between Emily's welcoming legs and laid his body on top of hers.

"God, Emily. I want you so much." Reid said kissing her face and neck. She held onto him tightly and said, "Oh, Reid…"

He guided his erection to her entrance and pushed in slowly then gave her time to adjust to him. Usually, he likes to take his time making love to her … but not tonight. He needed to possess her, to claim her as his. When she wraps her legs around him and squeezes tightly, he stared to move slowly.

"You're so wet and so tight." Reid said as he starting to fuck her hard.

Emily pulled her knees up higher to give him more room. She feel that stirring begin in her lower belly. "Ohhh, Spencer … Spencer …" Emily said Reid's name louder each time, digging her nails deeper into his back.

Reid knew how close she was so he speed up his thrusts as Emily tighten around his cock. He watched Emily in her ecstasy. He wanted to say how much he loves her. But he couldn't tell her now. Not during sex. She wouldn't believe him.

"Spenc … Aaaah" Emily screamed as she buried her loud orgasm into Reid's chest. After three more thrusts, he bit down hard as he emptied into her.

They stayed entwined together riding out their orgasms. Reid had never bitten Emily before. He wondered if subconsciously he had wanted to mark her … to show that she is his, and he is hers. Reid kissed her tenderly on her shoulder as he slowly pulled out. He rolled onto his back and reached for Emily, but she got out of bed. He watched her as she started gathering up her clothes from the floor.

"Stay." Reid told her, as she was putting on her panties and bra.

"You know I can't. We promised each other we wouldn't do this while on a case. This was a mistake." Emily replied, somberly. Emily pulled on her pants and v-neck.

"It's too late to think about that now. _Please_, stay Emily." Reid pleaded, leaning up on one elbow.

Even if she knew that if she get back to her room, she wouldn't be able to get any sleep tonight she also knew that she couldn't stay either. She stepped back to the bed and bent to kiss Reid goodbye, but he turned away from her.

"Don't, Emily. If you want to leave, then leave." Reid said, firmly.

"Please understand me, Spencer. I can't stay." Emily said, hurt by his reaction.

"No, Emily! I don't understand you! I try, but I can't!" Reid said, as he sat up on the bed. There was so much pain in his face as he looked at her and said, "Few night ago, you said that we weren't a couple. Then, tonight you come to my room to spy on me and acted like a jealous girlfriend. Which is it? Are we a couple, or not?" Reid asked forcefully. He had stood up from the bed and was pacing back and forth.

Emily wanted so badly to tell Reid exactly how she felt about him, and about possibly being pregnant. But instead, all she said was, "I don't know."

"Well, let me simplify things for you, Emily. You don't care enough about me to call me your boyfriend, even in private." Reid stated, as he glared into her eyes. He leaned his hand against the bathroom door frame and waited for her to say something else … anything else. Emily lowered her eyes to the floor and stayed quiet.

"What we had … and you can call it whatever you want … it's now OVER! Goodnight, Emily!" Reid entered the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Emily stood where she was. She hated herself for hurting Reid. She had never expected him to react the way he did. She wanted to tell him everything. But now was no longer the time. Reid was no longer in the mood to talk to her so she left his room, with a heavy heart and tears in her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Thanks for my beta and your reviews.**

* * *

><p>After his confrontation with Emily, Reid couldn't fall asleep or relax. If he wasn't worrying about his relationship with Emily, then he was worrying about his mom's medication treatments. Working was the only thing that could temporarily block his troubles out, for a while anyway so Reid got dressed and took a taxi to the police station. He found Detective Liv North re-reading reports in the case room.<p>

"Hey, Liv. Any progress ?" Reid asked, knowing there wasn't.

"No, I just couldn't sleep. I thought I'd take advantage of my insomnia, and work on the case."

"Yeah, me too." Reid stated, as he sat down across from Liv. He picked up a folder and started reading what he already remembered.

"Do you have any idea why the UnSub changed his M.O. after his first victim?" Liv asked.

Reid looked the victim's photos on the evidence board. While the rest of the victims had needle marks on their necks, George Xander was only one with ligature marks on his neck. The team had thought the UnSub didn't have the time to sedate him, and rushed. But now Reid wondered aloud, "What if the UnSub hadn't planned on killing Xander at all ? Maybe something about this man triggered the UnSub's reaction."

Liv had no objections to Reid's new theory. They reviewed the entire case with new eyes and spent the rest of the night talking about new theories.

* * *

><p>Prentiss, Morgan, and JJ were seated together in the hotel restaurant, waiting for the rest of the team. After few minutes, Rossi and Hotch joined them. They ate breakfast and enjoyed their morning coffee. When Hotch finished his cup he gave them their assignments.<p>

"Prentiss and Dave, I want you to speak with the M.E. again. She's finally finished Magnum's full autopsy. JJ and Morgan will come with me to the precinct."

"Wait a minute. Where's Reid?" Morgan asked, looking towards the door.

"Reid's already at the police station. He and Detective North have been there all night working on the case. He called me early this morning. They've found something interesting." Hotch replied.

He was a little upset with Reid. Hotch never allowed his team to go back to the station without asking him first but he understood that Reid wanted to focus on his work. He was glad that Reid's stress level would be low enough to function and the team appeared satisfied with his update on Reid and the case.

* * *

><p>Emily was glad that Reid had found something new but it unnerved her greatly just thinking about Reid and Detective North spending the night together. It didn't matter that they were at the police station and working the case. Emily realized that it was her own fault for not staying with Reid last night. All those hours when she should have been with Reid, he was with Detective North.<p>

Rossi saw Emily's hidden sadness when Hotch told them about Reid but said anything until Emily started driving.

"Emily, is everything okay ?" he quietly asked,

"I'm just tired of this case." Emily replied, as she stared straight ahead watching the road.

"Yeah, right. The case! I'm sure it has nothing to do with a certain female Detective hitting on Reid." Rossi said, smirking at her.

"Reid? Why would I care about him?" Emily tried to act and sound normal, but her voice betrayed her.

"Emily, I'm not blind or stupid. I noticed months ago that you and Reid were ... er … how should I put it? close?" Rossi asked, still smirking and looking at her.

Emily realized that there was no point in lying to Rossi. She sighed a long sigh and then asked him, "Do you think that Hotch has noticed too ?"

"No. I don't think he's noticed. If he had, you can be sure he would have had The Talk with both you and Reid." Rossi said. He stopped smirking and gave her a gentle smile.

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore because Reid broke up with me." Emily responded, sullenly.

"Why? The two of you seemed so happy together." Rossi asked, unaware that they had broken up.

Emily was surprised by Rossi's words of understanding and support. He didn't react this way when he found out about Garcia and Kevin. He spouted rules and regulation at anyone he could corner. Lynch finally talked to him and explained that Garcia and him are civilians so they were allowed to date each other. But Emily and Reid's situation was different. They both are agents who are breaking one of the FBI golden rules.

"It doesn't matter why, it's over." Emily said a little harsh and took a deep breathe to calm herself.

"I know it's not any of my business, but do you love him?" Rossi asked, sadly. He had always felt like a surrogate father and confident to Emily.

"What kind of question is that?" Emily asked. She was shocked at his question.

"Emily, if you do love him … and I mean _really love_ him, then you should fight for him." Rossi stated sternly.

"Seriously? You, with your three ex-wives and your many ex-girlfriends, you want to give me relationship advice." Emily chuckled.

"Emily, do you want to know why all of my relationships failed? I'll tell you why. And I want you to take it to heart … learn from my mistake. I've had many women over the years. Long-term and short-term. I cared for them but it was never really loved them." Rossi paused and turned his head to look out the passenger window. He took a very deep breathe and said, "I have only ever loved one woman. I was young and stupid. I wanted to become someone and I thought I had time for love so I left my hometown to join the USMC. Years later, I found out she was married. I guess it was fate but I always regretted to how turned out." Rossi coughed to clear his throat, and to get his emotions back in check. "If you think you can be happy with Reid, you owe it to yourself to take your chance." he said, as he smiled at Emily again.

"Thank you, Rossi, for telling me that. But, it's too late." Emily said.

"So, what? If he loves you, I'm sure you can fix things with him." Rossi said, encouragingly.

"I don't know. I think it's probably better this way. At least now, I don't have to choose between him and my job." Emily stated.

She had always liked talking to Rossi. She trusted her team with her life, but she trusted Rossi with her secrets. Rossi knew things about Emily that she would never tell anyone else.

"It's your call, Emily. But if you want to fix things with him, do it quickly. Life is far too short to have regrets. Take it from one who knows." Rossi laughed, now that they were both back in control of their emotions.

"You don't think it's weird … Reid and me?" Emily asked, embarrassed.

"I admit, I never thought you'd turn out to be a cougar." Rossi laughed out loud, along with Emily.

When they stopped laughing, Rossi told Emily, "Reid is the perfect kind of man for you because he's not threatened by your Wonder Woman side, and he understands your geek side. That's a win-win in my book."

* * *

><p>Reid and Liv were sitting in the case room waiting for the team and Cal to arrive. Reid went to the break room to make another cup of coffee. He regretted freaking out and breaking up with Emily. He should have sat down with her and talked. Everything was all messed up and complicated now but he wanted to work things out with her and promised to fix things.<p>

Reid pulled himself together and got back to the case room where Hotch, Morgan, and JJ had arrived. He noticed that Rossi and Emily weren't back yet from their assignment.

"Reid, what have you and Detective North come up with?" Hotch asked, as soon as Reid stepped through the door.

Reid explained what they had discovered. For Xander, the UnSub used his bare hands to restraint him but for his later victims, he used a diluted Etorphine, also known as M99, a controlled substance to knock them out his victims so Xander's abduction could be the key to solving the case.

"Etorphine is a very powerful veterinary analgesic. I don't think that the Unsub had access to that drug but he definitely knows its effect. I mean he wants his victims sedated and he couldn't risk them do die from an O.D." Reid said.

"It's make sense that he used a drug he knows." Hotch seconded Reid's idea

"Only few companies can sell Etorphine and it takes times to purchase it. Maybe that's why the Unsub took his time between his first and second victim because he wanted to have it before looking for his next victim. I called Garcia and asked her to arrow down the list of unusual buyers in the San Diego area.

"Good work Reid. You, too Detective North." Hotch stated.

Hotch agreed that Xander's murder was an impulse act so he sent Morgan and JJ back to Xander's residence, and to re-interview his neighbors then he pulled Reid aside and ordered him to the hotel for a nap.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, the whole team plus Liv and Cal were gathered together for another briefing. They had discovered the following: Every week-end until he died, Xander would walk one of his old neighbor's dog to a local park. According to the park gardener, Xander's attitude toward boys a little weird. He thought that just a lonely man but when he read the article about Xander's "preference", he changed his mind and realized that it wasn't innocent.<p>

For the team and the detectives that it was clear that Xander used the park to look for his next victims and maybe that's why the Unsub decided to target him. Their brainstorming was suddenly interrupted by a call from Garcia.

_"I have bad news and good news. The good news is: I cracked our last three victim's encrypted e-mails. There's a lot of exchanging of child pornography between several members of that website. I tracked down the I.P. addresses and gave them to Interpol and the D.O.J. I'm proud to announce that these sickos are going to be arrested very soon."_ Garcia stated, sounding a little satisfied.

There were smiles around the table at this news. At least something good was coming out of this case.

"And the bad news?" Rossi asked.

_"Because it can be fatal to humans, the distribution of Etrophine is controlled by the FDA. I found only one interesting name, Dr. Marsh Tracy, VMD." _Garcia replied.

"Do you have an address?" Morgan asked.

_"Nope, because he doesn't exist. Dr. Marsh Tracy, VMD is a character from a television show. The UnSub used this name to order the drugs, and paid using false banking information. Sorry guys, but that's all I can find out about it. I hate to say that but he's very good at covering his tracks. Garcia out." _Garcia ended the call.

"Dave, what did the M.E say?" Hotch asked, looking at Rossi.

"Nothing useful. Like the other victims, Magnum was drugged, tortured, and killed. Then he was washed and dumped." Rossi finished answering just as Cal's phone started ringing.

"Yes, it's me. Bring him here, to the station. I'll be waiting for you. Thanks." Cal said, ending his call. "I think we have a witness."

"That's great!" Morgan said, speaking for everyone else.

"Yeah, but wait until you see our witness." Cal said, with a grimace.

Now, all the previous smiles turned into grimaces.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**A/N: Thanks to my beta and for you reviews.**

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><p>Two police officers walked past escorting a handcuffed man down the hallway to an interview room. He was a tall Hispanic man in his late thirties. Cal told the FBI agents "That's our witness, Tony Marquez. He's a convicted criminal who runs a small gang in the area where the last victim was dumped. His gang consists of drug dealers and pimps. They terrorize the whole area and are always trying to recruit teenagers to do his dirty work. When the officers arrested him for drug possession, he claimed that he saw the killer."<p>

"Did he give the officers a description of the man that he saw?" Hotch asked. He was both surprised and annoyed. Just like Reid had predicted, and just what the UnSub was counting on, this witness's credibility was highly questionable.

"He didn't say anything except that he saw the killer dumping his last victim. His lawyer asked to talk to the FBI." Cal replied, visible pissed.

* * *

><p>"I'm Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner and this Supervisory Special Agent Rossi from the FBI. You told the police officers that you saw the man who disposed of the body in your neighborhood. Can you give me a description of that man?" Hotch said, as he entered the interrogation room and sat down in front of Marquez and his lawyer.<p>

"I'm Tim Hill, Mr. Marquez's attorney. My client told me that he saw the man who could be, according to the news, the serial killer that you're looking for. But Mr. Marquez is facing some serious legal issues, and he is wondering if you can help him out with that." The well-dressed and well-paid lawyer replied.

Both Hotch and Rossi sighed quietly. From the minute they saw the witness handcuffed, they knew that they would have to negotiate a deal with him. The agents were not happy about that. "We'll talk to the D.A. and see what can be done. Now, tell us what you saw." Rossi said. He was visibly upset about having to make a deal with a criminal.

"I don't think you understood. I want my deal on paper and signed. Then I'll talk." Marquez grinned.

"We've reviewed your criminal record. How can we be sure that you're even going to tell the truth?" Rossi said. He'd met a lot of men like Marquez. They loved to manipulate the legal system. This guy was trying to avoid going to jail by using the public's fear of a serial killer remaining at large.

"It's up to you to believe me, or not. Under normal circumstance, I'd have no problem doing my time in jail. But my girlfriend is eight months pregnant. I don't want to be in jail when she gives birth to my first child. Plus … it's personal. This guy is ruining my business. It's because of him that cops are everywhere in my neighborhood. I got arrested because of him. Who does he think he is driving around in his fancy car and dumping a body in MY streets." Marquez explained, very calmly.

"We'll go talk to the D.A. Make yourselves comfortable, gentlemen. It's going to take a while." Rossi said, as he and Hotch stood up and left the room.

* * *

><p>"I think that Marquez really saw something … " Hotch started saying.<p>

But Morgan cut him off, "Come on, Hotch! Don't tell me that you believe him. It's clear that he's just using our investigation to avoid going to jail."

"Morgan, I agree with Hotch. At first, like you, I thought the same thing. Until, he mentioned the UnSub's fancy car. I don't know how much he can help our case, but I think he really did see something. And I want to know what he saw." Rossi stated.

"I'll be in Lt. Esposito's office. I need to call the D.A. and try to convince him of Marquez's good faith. Like Dave said early, it could take a while. In the meanwhile, everybody keeps working on the case." Hotch ordered his team.

After two hours of intense discussion on the phone with the D.A., Hotch finally convince him to send one of his assistants over to offer a deal to Tony Marquez.

About an hour later, a woman in her early forties approached Hotch. "Hi. I'm Kate Rooney, Assistant District Attorney." She smiled as she shook hands with Hotch, and then with Rossi.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice." Hotch said, as the three of them began walking to the interrogation room where Marquez and his lawyer were waiting.

"You're welcome. I heard that these might be your last days on this case. I hope we catch him before your team has to leave. I'm fed up with the media constantly asking questions about this so-called vigilante." Rooney replied, before she entered the interrogation room.

"What the hell is she talking about?" Rossi whispered to Hotch.

"Not now, Dave." Hotch replied, using his Unit Chief's voice. Again, the FBI Director had called Hotch telling him that his team now had only two days remaining to close the case. Hotch had still not made this announcement to the rest of his team.

After Kate introduced herself as the Assistant District Attorney, she warned Marquez and his attorney, "Mr. Hill, here are the papers to confirm our deal with your client. Make sure that both you and your client understand that if he lies, even a little bit, then this deal will be canceled."

Marquez agreed, read, and signed the legal documents. Then he talked.

Marquez was out late at night taking care of business, when he saw a dark 2011 Ford Explorer come to a stop in an ally. Marquez thought that he was a potential client. So he moved toward the car to find out what the driver wanted. Before he reached the car, and before the driver noticed him, he saw a tall white man dump something next to the dumpster. Then the man climbed back into his car and drove away. Marquez went over to see what the guy dumped. When he saw that it was a dead guy wrapped in plastic, he just took off. He didn't want anyone to see him there and think that he was the killer.

Hotch, Rossi, and Kate asked a few more questions, then they were satisfied with Marquez's statement. Rossi and Hotch left the room, leaving Kate to explain exactly what charges and leniency Marquez would receive.

* * *

><p>Hotch and Rossi headed back to the case room to update the team and the detectives. Hotch called Garcia and gave her the partial license plate number that Marquez had remembered. "So Garcia, what do you have?" Hotch asked.<p>

"I found only one car that matches Marquez's description. It's registered to a Dr. Zadig Carter, age 37." Garcia reported.

"Wait! I know that name, but I can't recall who he is." Cal exclaimed.

"He's one of San Diego's biggest benefactors." Liv said, shocked.

"Garcia, tell me more about him." Rossi demanded, intrigued.

Garcia responded as follows, "Carter was born in San Diego. He's a genius who enrolled at M.I.T when he was only 15 years old. That's where he met Stan Bell, who became his best friend, and later his business partner. After they both received their PhD's in Computer Science, Carter and Stan Bell started a computer chip company and become very rich. When Carter was 30 years old, the business was sold for millions of dollars. Then Carter created a foundation and started giving money to schools, hospitals, cops, firefighters, and God knows how many others associations. He also helped build free clinics and community centers inside, and outside, San Diego."

"Does he have a record?" Morgan asked. So far, nothing made Carter sound like a suspect.

"No, he … Wait! Yes! He killed a man when he was 21. But he was never incarcerated for it." Garcia replied, clicking her fingers even faster on her keyboard.

"Why wasn't he?" Hotch asked. As a former prosecutor, he knew a deal was made.

Garcia read off the following details, "For his 21th birthday, Bell invited Carter to the campus bar. He and Carter were so drunk that they forgot his keys in the bar. When they went back to the bar to pick them, they saw two men trying to rape the bartender in the alley. Carter fought with a guy and smacked his skull on the pavement. It turned out that the dead was a convicted rapist and murderer. The police and the D.A. agreed that the death was a result of justifiable defense. So, Carter was never arrested."

"I think he's our UnSub." Reid said. "I mean, Carter killed and got away with it because he killed a rapist and a murderer. He knows that law enforcement cares less if a sex offender gets killed. And the way he spends his money shows that he obviously feels guilty about something. Plus, he's intelligent enough to erase all evidence of his crimes." Reid finished, feeling quite sure of his opinion.

"I agree. But how did he found out about his victim's past?" Hotch asked.

"Carter's an internet P.I." Garcia answered.

"What's that?" Cal asked.

"Basically, he does what I do. He owns two small companies, one in San Diego and one in N.Y. He investigates people. Instead of following them and taking pictures, he uses the internet to track them."

"Is that even legal?" JJ asked, sounding a little skeptical.

"Totally!" Garcia said. "His companies don't hack computers or anything like that. They just collect people's left over traces over the internet. Technically, they dig in the scraps of garbage in your life. And since he's cheaper than a real P.I., a lot of husbands or wives hire him to check on their spouses' fidelity. He even has contracts with several federal agencies."

"Ok, he could be our UnSub, but what about the trigger? This guy didn't just wake up one day and suddenly decide to kill child abusers. Garcia, can you give us any information on his personal life, or issues?" Morgan asked.

"He was married to a lawyer who had practiced in N.Y. She had specialized in child/teen abuse then she moved to San Diego to work for the Child Protection Association. Three years ago, she died in an accident. Carter suffered a severe breakdown and spent almost one year in a private mental facility. So, my guess is that in his mind he is continuing her work by killing child molesters. Oh, another interesting fact is that his mother was a zoologist/veterinary for the San Diego Zoo. Carter and his sister literally grew up there. Younger, he wanted to follow in his mother's footsteps, but he later changed his mind and went to M.I.T." Garcia sighed.

"So, he knows what Etorphine is, and how to use it. Where does he live now?" Hotch asked. So far, Carter's profile seemed to fit. But Hotch needed to know much more about him in order to persuade a judge to sign an arrest and search warrant for such a high society figure.

"He lives on a ranch about 30 minutes from San Diego. I'm sending you the address. I'll keep digging, but that's all I've got for now." Garcia said, and then hung up.

The BAU team, Cal, Liv, and Lt Esposito just looked at each other in silence for few seconds. Their instincts and experiences told them that everything they now learned about Carter made him a viable suspect. Carter has the intelligence, the opportunity, and the location to find, torture, kill, and dump his victims without getting caught. But they have nothing concrete to support their suspicions.

"Ok! Rossi and I are going to see the D.A. for the warrants." Hotch stated, knowing that it wasn't going to be easy.

"I'm coming with you. I know a couple of judges who owe me a few favors." Lt. Esposito said, not really asking for the Unit Chief's permission.

Even though he wasn't happy when the BAU first took over his case, Lt. Esposito respected their reputation and their work. For the past days, he didn't intervene. He let the agents do things in their own way. But yesterday, he received a strange phone call from the Police Commissioner telling him that the FBI will be leaving sooner than he thought. So, Lt. Esposito decided to slowly take back control of the investigation.

With Carter's connection to every VIP in the state of California, arresting him could potentially destroy careers. That's why Lt. Esposito needed to be completely involved. If the profilers were right about Carter, everybody will be happy. But, if the profilers were wrong, the profilers won't be the ones having to justify their actions to the Police Commissioner. It will be the Lieutenant and his subordinates who will bear the consequences.

Hotch did not object to the Lieutenant joining him and Rossi. San Diego was Lt. Esposito's playground, and the Lieutenant was the one who knew the San Diego D.A. Also, knowing that Esposito was aware of the BAU's deadline, Hotch understood that the Lt needed to be a part of this important decision. "Let's go! The rest of you, be prepared, just in case." Hotch said, as he left with Rossi and the Lieutenant.

* * *

><p>When they arrived at the D.A.'s office, they knew it wouldn't be easy to get the warrants. Still, they didn't expect it to be as difficult as it was, nor to take as long as it did. Because Carter is one of their most upstanding citizens, and the fact that there is no real evidence against him, it took hours of long conversations. They had to win over the D.A. first. Then they had to go from one judge to another before one of them finally approved and sign the warrants. They now had what they needed to arrest Carter, and to search his properties.<p>

On the way back to the police station, Hotch, Rossi, and the Lieutenant agreed on a plan of action. They gathered the profilers and the detectives into the case room. First, they would secure Carter. Then half of the profilers and Cal would take Carter back to the station for interrogation. The rest of the profilers, Liv, and the CSU would stay and search for evidence. It took the team and the several other police cars about 30 minutes to reach Carter's residence. The last thing they expected to see were San Diego Fire trucks parked in front of a burnt up house.

The firefighters were packing up their equipment, getting ready to leave the scene. Carter was talking to the Fire Captain and the Fire Investigator. Morgan was the first one to jump out of the SUV. Everyone was frustrated about the fire. They needed proof to force Carter into making a confession. And the place where the murders seemed to have taken place was now destroyed by fire. But this little problem wasn't going to prevent them from doing what they came here for.

While Morgan handcuffed Carter, Hotch read him his rights then they secured him in the back of a police car. Like the rest of his team, Hotch didn't believe for a second that Carter's house suddenly caught fire just before he was due to be arrested. He took a deep breath and said, "Prentiss, JJ, and Reid, you stay here with Detective North and CSU. See if you can find anything useful. And talk to the fire investigator. I want to know everything about this fire. Call me as soon as you're done." Then Hotch and Rossi walked away, heading back to their SUV.

"It's going to be a long night." JJ sighed, as she watched her teammates' SUV leave the scene.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Thanks to my beta, for your support and reviews.**

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><p>Zadig Carter had never figured out, logically, why he liked killing people. He had been a normal kid (as normal as can be when you're a genius) and had grown up in a normal, and loving family.<p>

His life changed drastically 15 years ago, in that bar in Boston. By killing a man, an act he had never meant to do but had enjoyed, he discovered a new side of his personality, and it had scared him. He began spending hours reading books about serial killers, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. He never found out why he had homicidal urges, so he did everything he could to suppress them.

He worked hard to get his Ph.D. at M.I.T. He worked even harder to build a successful company. For over a decade, his life was perfect. He finally had everything that he needed to be happy, until his wife died, and his sanity declined. After he left the mental institution, where he had committed himself, he had attempted to resume his life. For two years, he devoted most of his time between his company, his foundation and his family. Zadig's sister and her son were the only family he had left. It was essential for his mental state that he find ways to spend time with them.

One Saturday, as Zadig had taken his nine year old nephew and his friends to the local park, he noticed a man, in his mid-forties, walking a dog. At first glance, the guy seemed ordinary, but something about him just wasn't quite right. The following two Saturdays, when he took his nephew to the park again, the same man was there as well. He always had a dog with him, and sometimes he had a camera, too. Zadig highly doubted that the dog was actually his, because the man regularly forgot the dog's name. The man would always try to talk to boys using the dog as a bait, when their parents weren't around. Zadig knew that was a classic textbook approach used by pedophiles to target their victims. That was when Zadig decided to find out everything that he could about that man.

The next week, Carter did a little spying and quickly discovered the man's name, George Xander. Using his company's resources, Carter discovered some disturbing things about Xander. There was a restraining order filed by Xander's former girlfriend. Also, there were a ton of child porn websites Xander visited regularly. Carter had a dilemma. Should he go to the police with no real evidence, or should he get evidences to his crimes then send them anonymously to the SDPD Child Abuse Units, naming Xander as a pedophile ?

He chose the latter solution and broke into Xander's home but unfortunately, Xander returned home earlier than anticipated, there was a scuffle, and Carter knocked Xander unconscious. Without really think about it, Carter put Xander's unconscious body into the trunk of his car and drove back home then dragged him into the basement where he beat him to death. Once Xander was dead, Carter carefully removed all traces that could lead back to him then drove off to dump the body.

For the first time since his wife had died, Carter had felt at peace with himself. He didn't have any further wishes to kill again, until the day he received a call from a woman named Nelly Watson. She explained that she worked with the Autistic Children's Association, and had asked to borrow his horses for an upcoming event.

It was well-known in charitable circles, that Carter frequently allowed organizations to borrow his horses for equine therapy programs. He told Nelly Watson that he would call her back with his answer. As soon as he hung up, Carter did that he always does. He used his computer search programs and discovered that Watson was definitely not the kind of person he wanted around kids. Carter found out that her former name was Nelly Conrad and she didn't just help her husband to kidnap, rape, and kill the children she used to baby-sit but she was the one who had come up with the revenge plan against her former employer, who had fired her for stealing money. After her _dear husband_ was caught by the NYPD, she had tried to convince him to take full blame for everything but worried that he would later implicate her, Nelly had arranged for another prisoner to kill him.

Everything Carter had discovered about Watson had aroused his desire to kill her, but this time it was different. Even though he had already killed twice, Carter had never planned to murder anyone beforehand. Deep down, he realized that if he killed her, there would be no turning back. He would not be able to stop himself from killing more people. After days of reflection, Carter finally embraced his dark side and killed Conrad then he started organizing his new life as a serial killer. With all the cyber predators on the internet, finding his next victim was easy. And soon thanks to his third victim's connection, he created a listing of local pedophiles in the San Diego area.

* * *

><p>Zadig Carter wasn't really surprised to find himself handcuffed to a table, in a police interrogation room. Despite all of the precautions he had taken, he knew that he might end up arrested but he wasn't worried. He had eliminated all trace that anyone could possibly link to him (on the victim, in his car, and in his house). He knew that the police and the BAU had nothing that they could use against him.<p>

The door opened and Aaron Hotchner and Derek Morgan entered the room. Carter recognized them as the two BAU agents who had arrested him, and read him his rights. Hotch sat down across from Carter, while Morgan leaned against the wall.

"Mr. Carter, I think you know why you're here, right?" Hotch asked, purposefully not using the title of 'Doctor'. He wanted to see if Carter would react, but Carter either didn't notice or didn't care.

Because they didn't have any physical proof, Carter knew that the BAU was going to use every trick in the book to get a confession. He was well prepared for that. Carter had studied the strengths and weaknesses of everybody involved in this case. "Yes. You think that I am the San Diego serial killer." Carter quietly replied.

Hotch opened a file and took out facial identification photos of the victims. Spreading them on the table, in front of Carter, Hotch demanded, "Do you know these people?"

Carter took a few seconds to reply and prepared his answer. Lying to the FBI was a federal offense. If they had any proof of his lies, they could keep him in custody even longer, so he said, "Yes. I saw pictures of them on the news, but I don't think I've ever met them personally."

"Are you sure? Look at them closely." Morgan said, still leaning against the wall.

"Sorry, but as I said, I don't think I know them. I see a lot of people every day, and I'm not very good with faces." Carter replied, with a calm voice.

His attitude annoyed the two profilers. For a suspect being questioned regarding multiple murders, Carter seemed too calm. Hotch tried again to provoke a reaction. He pulled out photos of the victims from the autopsy report, and placed them in front of Carter.

"And now, do you recognize them?" Morgan asked, angrily.

Carter looked at the photos carefully. Then using the same calm voice he had been using since the beginning of the interview, he said, "You really expected me to feel sorry for them? From what I've seen on TV and in the newspapers, they were rapists and child molesters."

"So, in your opinion, they deserved to die? Like that man you killed in Boston." Hotch asked, calmly.

Unlike the media and the public, Carter didn't see himself as a hero, or as a vigilante. He knew that he was doing was wrong. He had no right deciding who lived or died. Yet, Carter also knew that he could no longer deny his urges to kill. Though he did pride himself on the fact that he never killed innocent people. He only sought out and killed pedophiles and rapists.

Carter looked straight into the Hotch's eyes, and said, "Please. Don't give me the 'every life is precious' speech, because you know it isn't true. Tell me, are you actually saddened by the death of these disgusting people ? You know, I haven't seen any of their crying and grieving relatives or friends on the news. Actually I only saw people who were happy they're dead, so don't tell me their deaths are a tragedy." Carter replied.

They could not let it show, but deep down, Morgan and Hotch agreed with Carter's reply. It was the first time on a case that they felt no compassion for the victims but at this point, the profilers also realized that Carter didn't react like any other vigilante they had ever met before. Usually, vigilantes try to justify their actions, or try to convince everyone that they are on the same side as law enforcement. Carter did not react in either of these two ways. Hotch wasn't getting anywhere with Carter, so he changed his strategy.

"Can you account for your whereabouts two nights ago, between 11:00 pm and 11:30 pm?" Hotch asked. Instead of using the profile to push for a confession, Hotch decided to destabilize Carter by using Marquez's deposition.

"Two nights ago?" Carter paused, pretending that he was trying to remember. Of course, Carter knew very well where he had been. He'd been dumping Magnum's body. "Yes. I was at a fund raising organized by the San Diego Hospital. You can verify that, if you'd like."

Carter had learned a lot from reading all of those serial killer biographies. Most people thought serial killers were caught due to the skill of the Police or the BAU. That wasn't true. Usually, they were caught because they had neglected small details. Carter always coordinated his dumping days with charity events that he was scheduled to attend. He also dumped the bodies close by so that he wouldn't be late for the event, or noticed as missing for any significant amount of time. Carter hated these events, but he had recognized them as the perfect solution to toss out a body, and to have a solid alibi at the same time.

So far, Hotch and Morgan hadn't found anything to break Carter, or to make him lose his calm persona. Like the rest of his team, Morgan was sure that the fire in Carter's house was set intentionally and decided to use that angle.

"Tell me about the fire in your house? How did it start?" Morgan questioned, firmly, as he moved closer to Carter and sat on the edge of the table.

"I didn't know that investigating accidental house fires was an FBI prerogative." Carter replied, cooly.

"It is when you try to destroy evidence of your crimes." Hotch commented.

"My crimes?" Carter repeated almost chucking.

"Yes, your crimes! I think you kidnapped, tortured and killed these people. Then, you set part of your own house on fire to destroy the evidences. As we speak, your entire house is being searched so do yourself a favor and confess." Morgan said, with a slight smirk.

"Good luck with that, gentlemen. In the meantime, I'd like to call my lawyer." Carter replied, smirking, as well.

* * *

><p>While Reid was questioning the Fire Inspector and Liv questioned the staff who worked in Carter's home, JJ and Prentiss were searching Carter's study. JJ grew concerned when she noticed that Emily looked paler than ever. "Emily, are you sure okay?" JJ questioned, quietly.<p>

Emily was about to give her standard reply of 'I feel fine', even though she felt thoroughly nauseous and dizziness when Liv walked into the study.

"Ok, I've finished interviewing Carter's live-in staff. According to all of them, their boss is basically a saint. They've never seen anything unusual." Liv reported.

"Did they recall seeing any of the victims here, at any time?" JJ queried.

"No. Carter is a lone wolf. He doesn't go out much, and hardly ever invites anyone here." Liv answered.

"How do the fire started?" Emily asked, making sure to use her most professional voice.

She knew that Liv was a smart and competent detective. Emily wanted to hate Liv, but she had no right to do so. She really couldn't blame Liv for being attracted to Reid. Liv didn't know that he was Emily's boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend, Emily had to remind herself.

"Apparently, Carter has a bad habit of smoking in his garage, where he also stocks flammable liquids. The Fire Inspector thinks it was the result of carelessness. We'll have to wait for his preliminary report to be sure of that." Liv said.

At the moment, there was nothing else for the three of them to do, so they just sat quietly, in Carter's study. For the past days, JJ had been dying to find out more about what was going on between Liv and Reid. JJ decided this was a good time to ask. Smiling, inquisitively, JJ said, "So Detective North, you seem to like Reid, a lot."

Liv worried whether, or not, she should talk about her crush on Reid, especially in front of his girlfriend. Or his ex-girlfriend, if Liv correctly understood the hints that Reid had dropped, last night. She found the whole situation stupid. Reid was in love with Emily, and Emily seemed to love Reid. Unfortunately, neither of them have the guts to talk about their feelings and were just making themselves miserable.

"Yes, I do like him. I mean he's handsome, intelligent, and has a geeky side that I find very sexy. Too bad he's off the market." Liv replied, hoping that Emily understood what she was implying.

"What? No! Reid isn't dating anyone! Right, Emily ?" JJ said, chuckling, looking over at Emily and expecting her confirmation.

It's stupid, JJ thought. Reid was her best friend, so if he was seeing someone, she'd know about it.

"I don't know for sure if he's dating anyone, but his heart clearly belongs to someone else." Liv said, smiling, as she looked directly at Emily. JJ was so confused by Liv's statement, that she didn't notice Liv staring at Emily.

It was at this moment that Reid walked into the room. Immediately, he noticed the awkward silence between the three women. "What's going on?" Reid asked.

"Nothing. What's up?" JJ asked, glad for the change of subject.

"I talked to the Fire inspector. He says it looks like it was just an accident."

"No way! We're supposed to believe this fire conveniently burned his car and basement, accidentally!" Emily practically shouted.

"I know that Carter has close ties to the San Diego Fire Department, so I checked where the fire originated. I didn't see or smell anything out of the ordinary. There were flammable liquids stored in the garage. That's not unusual. Carter told to the Fire Captain that he had just finished smoking in the garage. Therefore, their assumption is that after smoking his cigarette, Carter didn't put it out properly. That the still lit cigarette interacted with the diesel in his garage, and the fire expanded to his basement." Reid said, sounding as annoyed as the three women looked.

Reid continued, "So far, we don't have any proof that Carter intentionally set his house on fire. CSU finished processing the garage and basement. They didn't find anything useful, but we can still took a look ourselves. I'm sure that's where he killed his victims. It's close to his garage, so he could easily have moved them before and after their deaths."

None of them was happy about the situation. The four of them headed down to the basement. Emily left the study first, followed by JJ and Liv. Reid remained in the study and was about to call Hotch for his report of their progress (or rather, their lack of progress) when he heard JJ screaming his name.

He ran into the hallway and saw JJ knelt down over Emily's unconscious body. Liv was already on her phone calling 911. For a few seconds, his heart stopped. When he reached Emily, Reid dropped to his knees.

"What happened?" Reid whispered to JJ. He dropped his phone and gently caressed Emily's face, with both hands.

JJ noticed it was more than a friend's concerned gesture. Then she realized what Liv had meant earlier. Reid was in love with Emily! Now, JJ also realized that Reid was Emily's mystery boyfriend.

At first, it seemed incredible, but now it made sense. Lately, Reid and Emily had been spending a lot of time together, and they carpooled into work together. JJ also remembered that night at the restaurant: the look on Emily's face, and her reactions when Liv started hitting on Reid. JJ cursed herself when she remembered the stupid things she'd been saying around Emily.

"Damn it, JJ! What happened?" Reid shouted, visibly terrified.

"I don't know, Reid. She was fine, and then she fainted. Her head hit the floor when she fell." JJ answered, worriedly biting her lip. She didn't know if Reid knew that Emily might be pregnant. JJ was trying to decide whether, or not, tell him.

Liv was still on the phone, and said, "The ambulance should be here in about 5 minutes. Has she regain consciousness?"

Keeping their focus on Emily, Reid and JJ both shook their heads and said, "No."

It felt like forever, but it wasn't, before they could hear the siren. A few minutes later, the ambulance arrived. Liv yelled out, "Guys! Over here!" Two EMTs, a male and a female, quickly rushed over to them. Gently, but firmly, they told Reid and JJ to step away from Emily.

After checking Emily's pulse, the EMTs placed a cervical collar around her neck. Quickly, they put Emily on the stretcher and headed out of the house. Reid, JJ and Liv followed them to the ambulance.

"We're taking her to the UCSD Medical Center. Do you know if she has any medical condition, or if she's on any kind of medication?" The female EMT asked, as they were settling Emily into the ambulance.

Seeing that Reid was unable to reply, JJ answered, "Beside birth control pills, I don't think she's taking any kind of medication. Also, she's might be pregnant."

"Thanks. Do you want to come with us?" The EMT asked.

JJ nodded 'yes', as she climbed into the back of the ambulance. She kept her head down, avoiding Reid's look of utter surprise and confusion.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**A/N: Thanks to my beta Taomerline and to your reviews. Sorry for the delay.**

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><p>They didn't let it show until they had left the interrogation room, but Hotch and Morgan were equally frustrated after their interview with Carter. While they waited for his attorney to arrive, Hotch and Morgan joined Rossi in the case room for a quick briefing before their next confrontation with the suspect and his lawyer.<p>

"JJ, Reid, and Prentiss are still processing Carter's house," Rossi stated. He could tell that the interrogation hadn't gone well at all.

Hotch was about to call JJ when Cal quietly entered the room and turned on the TV.

The newscast showed footage of Hotch and Morgan escorting a handcuffed Carter into the Police station, but it also showed a picture of Marquez under a large headline: "The FBI's key witness is the head of a local gang of drug dealers." Hotch turned off the TV and took a deep breath. Before Hotch could say anything, Cal announced, "It's not all. An old friend of mine called me to tell a incident involving Marquez and Carter."

"What kind of incident ?" Morgan asked a little afraid of the answer.

In his early years as a beat cop, Cal had patrolled Marquez's neighborhood. After a few months, he started to sympathize with Simone Laurens who ran the community center and he stayed in touch with her even when he became a Homicide Inspector. Though he still considered Simone a friend, it had been a long time since he had talked to her; and when she called him to reveal news about his case, he was extremely puzzled.

As she explained on the phone, Simone had been surprised when she learned that Zadig Carter had been arrested for multiple murders. He had partly financed the rehabilitation of the community center and also gave free computer classes. Simone was even more surprised to learn that Tony Marquez was the prime witness against Carter. Simone has known Marquez since he was a kid. Despite the fact that his parents had raised him well and ensured that he got a decent education, Marquez had been wild in his teens and started a local gang. Simone had many conflicts with Marquez, but she distinctly remembered one of those conflicts which also involved Zadig Carter.

Eight months ago, Marquez had learned that a multimillionaire regularly visited the neighborhood community center. Marquez contacted Carter and tried to extort him $10,000 for _protection_. Of course, Carter refused to be blackmailed and kicked Marquez's ass right in front of his gang. Feeling like a fool, Marquez fucked up Carter's car and swore that he'd get his revenge. Simone also knew that Carter didn't file any complaints against Marquez; so she was sure that the police didn't know anything about that incident. Knowing that Cal was working on the Vigilante Killer case, Simone had called to fill him in on this important piece of information.

"So you think that Marquez lied to set up Carter?" Hotch asked.

Rossi squeezed the bridge of his nose; he wasn't quite convinced that Carter was guilty. Still, he said, "Reid's theory is that the Unsub dumps his victims where criminality is high, right? But what if Carter dumped them where he had issues with the local gang … just in case he got caught."

Hotch agreed with Rossi's theory, it fits Carter's meticulous and organized killings. Before Hotch could voice his thoughts, Lt Esposito approached him, "Agent Hotchner, can I have a word in private?"

Hotch followed the Lieutenant into his office where ADA Kate Rooney was sitting on the edge of a table and knew that there was a problem.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," said Esposito, looking a little embarrassed, "The Chief requested that we take back the case immediately, and your boss agreed. It's not official yet, but it will be … in a few hours."

"How many hours are we talking about?" Hotch asked. He knew it was unrealistic to believe that his team could solve the case in only a few hours; especially now that Carter asked for his lawyer, but he wasn't willing to give up until his Director ordered him back to D.C.

"I don't think it's matters," said Kate Rooney. "Apparently, Marquez and Carter had a common past. Carter's lawyer convinced a judge to dismiss Marquez's statement. Without it, we have no warrants and no case. We have to release Carter once his lawyer gets here."

"So, what's happening now?" Hotch queried.

"I've ordered my people to leave Carter's house and we're setting up a joint press conference scheduled for the morning," Esposito paused. He continued while extending his hand to Hotch, "It's not the outcome we all expected, but it's been a pleasure working with you and your team."

"Likewise," Hotch replied sadly, as they shook hands. "I'll brief my team and prepare a settlement. Miss Rooney," Hotch tipped his head at the ADA and walked out of the Lieutenant's office. He hated having to give up like this, but he had no other choice than to accept how things turned out.

* * *

><p>As soon as Reid arrived at the ER, he rushed to the nurse's desk. Showing the nurse his FBI credentials, he said, "Excuse me, they just brought in Emily Prentiss. She's a Federal Agent. Can you tell me where she is?"<p>

The nurse consulted her computer for a moment and replied, "She's on the second floor." Pointing to the double doors not far from the nurse's station, she continued, "The elevators are through that door, on the left."

Reid rushed from the elevator into the waiting room. Spotting JJ, he dropped heavily into the seat next to her. Anxiously, he asked, "Have you heard anything yet?"

JJ noticed how extremely tired and pale Reid looked. She knew why he was so worried, but it wasn't the time nor the place to start questioning him about his relationship with Emily.

JJ told Reid what little she knew, "She regained consciousness in the ambulance. When we got to the ER, the doctor did a blood culture; and because she hit her head on the floor, he also prescribed a scan." Full of worry for Emily, they sat silently and waited.

A few moments later, the ER doctor approached them, "You're both here for Emily Prentiss?" JJ and Reid nodded. "I'm Dr. Grant. We ran a few tests on your friend. Her iron level and hemoglobin count are extremely low. We hooked her up to a plasma drip and gave her a booster shot of iron to stabilize her."

"But besides that, she'll be alright?" JJ asked. She wanted to know whether or not Emily was pregnant. If so, then what about the baby. Knowing how Emily felt about privacy, JJ knew that to ask that question would undoubtedly be crossing the boundary of their friendship. Reid should find out from Emily, not in the middle of a waiting room.

Doctor Grant told them, "She'll be fine. We'll monitor her for a few hours; It's standard procedure for head trauma with loss of consciousness. A nurse is in with her right now, but you can go and see her. She's in Room 213."

They thanked the doctor and headed to Emily's room. JJ knocked on the closed door, and after hearing a distant "Come in," she slowly opened the door.

* * *

><p>"All done," the nurse exclaimed, as she finished adjusting the IV and plasma bag. She instructed Emily not to hesitate in pressing the call button and said she would return every half hour to check Emily's temperature. The nurse smiled at the two visitors and then left the room, closing the door behind her. Even though she was as white as the sheets, in his eyes she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Reid desperately wanted to hold and kiss Emily, but because JJ was there all he felt allowed to do was to stand there leaning against a table.<p>

JJ, on the other hand, didn't hesitate at all. She gave Emily a loving hug before sitting on the edge of the bed. "Geez, Emily, you scared the hell out of us! How are you feeling?" JJ asked, still worried regardless of what the doctor had told them.

"Tired, but mostly embarrassed," Emily replied, as she continued trying not to look at Reid. She had seen his expression when he entered her room; she couldn't bear his look.

JJ could feel the tension growing. She stood up, released Emily's hand, and said, "I'm going to call Hotch and let him know what's happened." As she walked to the door and opened it, she continued, "I'm sure you two will find something to talk about. I'll be back." As she left the room, JJ gave them a little smile before she closed the door.

The silence in the room was heavy until Emily finally broke it, "Spencer, talk to me."

When Reid had heard JJ tell the EMT that Emily might be pregnant, he had many questions on his mind. He needed time to process things with a clear head before he started demanding answers. "I'm glad you're okay, Emily; but I have nothing to say," Reid lied.

Emily didn't need to be a profiler to know that Reid was lying to her. While she was in the ER, she recalled her earlier conversation with Rossi; she had to admit that it was a lack of communication that kept driving her and Reid apart.

"Just say what's on your mind. I know that something is bothering you," Emily persisted.

Reid sighed loudly. He didn't want to have this talk while Emily was in the hospital, but he also knew that she wouldn't let it go. Taking a deep breath, he looked into her eyes and asked, "Are you pregnant?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Thanks to my beta and your nice reviews. **

* * *

><p>"I'm not pregnant." she said looking the ceiling. It was precisely the discussion she did want to avoid. She wasn't pregnant so she saw no point to tell Reid about her pregnancy scare.<p>

"But according to JJ, you thought you were, right ? Why you didn't told me ? It's because..." he paused afraid to finish his sentence.

When he heard that Emily could be pregnant, Reid was shocked and as he drove to the hospital he was wondering why she told JJ and not him then it hit him. If Emily didn't tell, it was simply because it didn't concern him.

With Emily, he never defined their relationship or talked about been exclusive so technically, they both were free to see another people. For him, things were simple, Emily was the one he wanted and never slept with someone else but what about her ?

"You're the only man I've been with these last months." she said seeming to read his thoughts. She knew there were no malice in his question or intentions to insult her. He just wanted to understand why she kept this huge secret from him.

"Can you sit down ? My head is killing me." once he sat on the edge of the bed she continued "Remember our first night here in the restaurant when I excused myself to the restroom ? JJ joined me and asked if I was pregnant. Until she brought the subject, this idea didn't even crossed my mind."

He did remember how sick she seemed that night. He also remembered that he texted her because he wanted to talk to her but she turned him down.

"Why did you tell me then ? Did you thought I would freak out and leave you on your own ?" he asked her looking straight into her eyes.

He knew (perhaps he was the one only who knew the whole story) about what happened to her when she was a teenager in Rome so ever if it hurt, he couldn't blame her if it brought painful memories or she thought that he was going to take the news badly.

"I never ever imagine that. Not even a second. I just needed time for myself to think." she said trying to keep her emotions under control.

"About what ?" he mumbled.

He knew that it was pointless to have this discussion but he wanted to understand why she didn't trust him. Their relationship wasn't purely sexual. They confined things they never told to anyone and he hoped that no matters what happens in their lives, they will always there for each other. Obviously he overestimated their bond.

"Spencer, I'm really tired. Can we talk about that back in D.C ?" she said. She wasn't really tired but she didn't want to continue this discussion on her hospital bed.

"No. I mean I'll like to but I have to fly to LV once we finished the case. I only return in dc to sign my leave of absence and pack a new go-bag." he explained, glad that Emily was willing to talk.

"Your mom is okay ?" she asked knowing that his sudden leave of absence was related to his mother's health. He nodded sadly and didn't need to add more because she knew how changing his mother's condition was.

"You should try to sleep." he said as he got up from her bed and went to sit on a chair next to it.

After ten minutes, JJ entered the room and Reid immediately recognized the liaison media's unhappy face.

"Something's wrong ? " Reid demanded.

"The DA dropped all charges against Carter and the SdPd take back the case. We're leaving the town tomorrow morning after the press conference." Jj replied. She explained them that in addiction of their lack of evidence, their witness seemed to have an history with Carter. "I have to return to the station and prepare our statement. Spence, you're staying with Emily and tomorrow, Morgan is going to drive you to the hotel, okay ? Call me if you need anything." then she hugged Emily and left.

* * *

><p>In decades as a FBI agent or as an Unit Chief, Hotch never received private calls from the FBI Director. Actually before this case, his boss personally called him only one time. It was after Hailey's death.<p>

The Big Boss' orders were very specific: the team had to brief the SFPD and return to DC after making a settlement who reflects a positive image of the Bureau. Hotch was disappointed but pragmatic. The FBI always likes good publicity and obviously for the big oils, catching a pedophile killer using federal resources and money wasn't a good one.

Plus, the FBI considered that since the BAU already did their job by establishing the unsub's full profile and his victimology, it was now in the hands of the SDPD to apprehend him.

Hotch broke the news to Rossi and Morgan. Like he expected, the latter took it pretty badly. "So not only we have to free that S.O.B but we're also off the case ?" Morgan yelled.

He understood the political strategy behind the case and he didn't like that. He was himself disgusted by the victims but he hated the idea that Carter (proofs or not he knew that he was the unsub) could walked away after what he have done.

Imperturbable to his subordinate's outburst, Hotch continued "There is something else. Prentiss is at the hospital." Morgan and Rossi opened their mouth simultaneously to talk but he stopped them "She's okay. She fainted and hit her head but everything's fine now. Reid stays with her during the night. Morgan, tomorrow you'll drive them to the hotel to pack."

"What are we going to do now ?" Rossi asked.

Except about Emily's hospitalization, he wasn't really troubled by the recent development. Politics was always part of the game and he had to recognize that for once, he didn't feel bad enough for the victims to do his job properly. As a FBI agent, he promised to serve the law but the more he found out about the victims the more he was glad that such people was dead.

"We wait for JJ to prepare our settlement for the press then we brief the new team in charge. As you can understand with the media attention around the station we can't go back to our hotel so we have to stay the rest of the night here." Hotch explained and as looked thought the glass window he saw the A.D.A Rooney talking to Carter and the man in a suit. Carter's lawyer he presumed.

Hotch wasn't surprised that Carter was free so soon. After all, he had the money and the connections for that. Hotch knew that it wasn't his case anymore but he couldn't resist to have a final talk with Carter.

* * *

><p>When he saw Hotch, Carter said "Agent Hotchner, how nice of you to come to say me goodbye."<p>

"Actually, I'm here to warn you …" Hotch started to say but he was cut by Carter's attorney "Be careful, Agent if you're threading my client I'll …" this time, it was Carter who cut his own lawyer "Come on, Robert. Nobody is threading anyone. Apparently, Agent Hotchner wants to tell me something so you could use some privacy." Carter's attorney looked intensely his client then following by the A.D.A, he gave Carter and Hotch space.

"So you're saying that you warn ?" Carter asked once he and Hotch were alone

"I know that kind of game you're playing. Even if you maybe won the first round, it's not over. My team and I are out but I'll make sure that the SDPD keeps an eye on you and soon or later, you're going to make a mistake." Hotch said firmly.

"I'm not worry. In few weeks, the Vigilante Killer case will be just a cold case and the SDPD will have another priorities. Besides, hypothetically if I was the killer I'll say that I already made a mistake. I mean dumping bodies in the streets when you have an ocean nearby was pretty stupid, do you think ? Like my mom liked to say you learn by your mistakes. Anyway I have to go, I spent enough here. Goodbye Agent Hotchner and have a nice flight." Carter replied before joining his lawyer and leaving the precinct.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Thanks to my beta and to my faithful reviewers and followers.**

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><p>The jet touched down in DC around 4:00 pm. The flight back was deadly calm, no poker games or small talk. The team was very disappointed because they had been taken off the case, and the UnSub hadn't been charged with anything.<p>

They were so used to successful conclusions of varying degrees, that they had forgotten that sometimes they did fail; and this was one of those times.

When everyone began gathering their stuff, Hotch finally broke the silence, "As all of you know, the Vigilante Killer is no longer our case, yet we still have a lot of work to do. I know it's been a long night for everyone, but we have a briefing tonight with Strauss; and then we'll get a few days off." After a brief pause, Hotch looked down and said, "Reid, Prentiss, I need to speak with you."

The rest of the team didn't know why Hotch wanted to speak only with Reid and Prentiss; and they were too tired tonight to care, except for JJ. Understanding that Hotch wanted privacy, Morgan, Rossi, and JJ exited the jet. Even though Reid and Emily were sure that neither Rossi nor JJ had revealed any secrets to Hotch, they were both a little anxious about what their boss wanted to discuss with them.

Hotch looked at Emily and said, "Prentiss, you're taking a week off; and before you protest, it's an order. Reid, I want you to escort Prentiss home, and then come back to the office."

Reid and Emily both nodded in acknowledgement then followed Hotch off the jet. They caught up with the rest of the team at the SUVs in airstrip's parking lot, and everyone headed off to their destinations.

* * *

><p>From the moment they had left the hospital, Reid hadn't said a word to Emily, nor looked directly at her, even as he drove her home. The traffic was fluid so it took less than 20 minutes of silence to arrive at Emily's condo. Reid parked the SUV, went to the trunk, and reached for Emily's go-bag.<p>

"I can do that, you know," Emily said, as she grabbed the handle of her bag.

"I know; but you've just been release from the hospital so it's better if you don't over exert yourself," Reid replied. He proceeded to pulled out both of their bags. Because Emily was still feeling dizzy from the blood transfusion, she didn't protest; she silently followed Reid into her condo.

Once they were inside, Reid carried both bags into the bedroom and placed Emily's bag in a corner on the floor. Without saying anything, Reid began removing his items from her bathroom. He packed them into his go-bag, along with the rest of his clothes, books, and any other items that he had left at her place. Though his feelings for Emily hadn't changed, the pregnancy scare and her silence about it had finally opened his eyes. Emily was right. They weren't a couple. On the flight home, Reid had realized that he needed to end their mockery of a relationship.

When they had last spoken in the hospital, they had agreed to have a real conversation about their future; but Emily now realized that wasn't Reid's intention anymore. Silently, she sat on her bed and watched Reid remove all of his belongings. She said nothing and did nothing to stop him.

Taking one last look around the bedroom making sure that he didn't leave anything behind, Reid zipped up his go-bag and carried it over to the bedroom door. It broke his heart to leave Emily all by herself especially so soon after her release from the hospital, but he had no other choice. Hotch was waiting for him to sign paperwork, and his mom's doctor was waiting for him to arrive.

Reid took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and asked Emily, "Are you hungry? If you'd like, I can fix you something to eat before I go."

"No, it's okay. Garcia texted me that she's bringing me some of her special pasta," Emily replied, with a sad smile. She could tell that Reid's mind was already somewhere else, and she knew that he had only asked because he was trying to be nice.

Satisfied that Emily wouldn't be alone tonight, Reid pulled out his keys and removed the one to the condo. Picking up his go-bag, he walked over to the nightstand and placed the key down gently, saying, "I'll be leaving now. Here's your key."

With all that Emily had just sat and watched, it hurt the most when he put down her key. Despite the fact that she knew that their relationship was really ending, she still needed to hear it in words. Quietly, she asked, "So, this is the end?"

Reid looked down at Emily. He wanted to tell her "No, it's not over. You and I have something great going on. We just need to talk things out". Instead, he said, "We can't end something that never really began, right? You're my friend, Emily, probably my best friend. I hope that we can put this behind us and still be friends like we used to be."

Emily didn't want to be just Reid's friend; but if it was what he wanted, then she needed to pretend that she also wanted it for his sake and for hers. Standing up, Emily said, "Yeah, sure," as she smiled and tried to sound and look convincing.

Reid smiled back at Emily. He put his bag on the floor, wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead. Then he kissed the top of her head, released his embrace, and whispered, "Take care of yourself." Then he turned and walked out of the bedroom.

Emily remained standing there and heard her front door close. She was still surprised because those were kisses of comfort; the kind that you'd give to someone who was ill. During their relationship, she had shared many things with Reid: her bed (and everything implied), her house, and her painful or happy memories; but they had never spent time cuddling or touching each other like normal lovers. Emily closed her eyes and held onto that tender and gentle moment. She hadn't realized how much she truly missed that kind of intimacy.

* * *

><p>Over the next couple of days, Emily called Reid twice, in vain. She had presumed that he was ignoring only her calls. It was later that she learned that Reid hadn't been in contact with any of the team since he'd left DC. Once Garcia assured Emily that Reid was safe and sound in Las Vegas, Emily had finally stopped worrying.<p>

From experience, receiving a phone call in the middle of the night usually meant one of two things: a case, or bad news. Since Emily was still on medical leave, she knew it had to be bad news. Reaching over in the dark, she grabbed her phone and answered the call. The only response on the other end was someone breathing into their phone. Turning on the light, Emily sat up in bed and checked the caller ID. It showed Caller Unknown, but Emily recognized the area code as Nevada.

"Reid, is that you?" she asked, sounding a little worried. Why in the hell would he call me in the middle of the night? she thought, as she rubbed her eyes.

After a few seconds of silence, Reid finally spoke, "Hey, Emily. How are you?"

Emily wasn't totally awake, but immediately she realized that wasn't Reid's normal voice. She already knew without having to ask, but she asked anyway, "Reid, are you drunk?"

After another few seconds of silence, Reid slurred haltingly, "I'm ... not drunk enough …. because I still remember that my life … sucks. A week ago, my life was good ... and now … I've already lost you …. and … and soon … I'm going to lose her too."

It took Emily a few seconds to realize what Reid had really meant. He seemed to regret their break-up, but there were a much deeper sadness in his voice. She asked, "How's your mom doing?"

There were another empty silence before Reid slurred, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you. It's not your problem. Goodbye."

Emily called out, "Spencer, wait ...", but Reid had already hung up.

There was no way that Emily could go back to sleep now. She was afraid that Reid would do something harmful to himself, so she decided to act. She jumped out of bed, turned on her laptop, and ordered airline tickets for the next flight to Las Vegas. Emily took a quick shower, called a taxi, and packed her travel bag.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**A/N: Thanks to my beta Taomerline FanFiction and for everyone's support.**

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><p>Reid awoke, thinking that he had imagined hearing someone knocking on the door to his hotel room. Then, he heard loud banging and someone calling out his name. The only part of his brain still capable of logic realized that it wasn't just someone.<p>

It was Emily.

It took several tries for him to stand up on his feet. His head felt as if it was going to explode. His throat was on fire, and his vision was blurry. He reminded himself that was exactly why he hated drinking too much; but last night, alcohol seemed to be the only solution to his troubles.

When he opened his door and saw Emily standing in front of him, one quick look at her told him two things: she looked tired, and she was angry.

"Why didn't you turn on your damn phone?" she yelled, as she passed him and entered his room without his permission.

"I forgot to turn it on. Are you here because of that?" he asked, confused still trying to figure out if he was dreaming or not.

Emily ignored his question and scanned the room. On the table, along with books and printed pages, there were about a dozen empty coffee cups and half-eaten Chinese food. On the floor, there was an empty scotch bottle and handwriting notes. On his bedside table, there was another bottle of scotch. She was shocked and couldn't believe it. One thing that she had definitely learned while they were together was that the man was borderline OCD.

However, what shocked Emily the most was Reid himself. He had obviously slept in his clothes, his eyes were red, and he reeked of liquor.

The only thing that Emily liked was his slight beard from not shaving for at least two days. _Dear God, he's so sexy like that_ she told herself, but immediately ordered herself to _Get yourself together, Prentiss. You're not here for that._

"You called me, drunk, in the middle of the night. You sounded like you needed help. Are you alright?" Emily replied. Judging from the confused expression on Reid's face, she realized that he didn't remember calling her.

"I called you, and you decided to fly here without any luggage?" Reid asked her.

Feeling nauseous, Reid sat down on his bed and tried to remember what had happened last night. He remembered leaving his mother and buying two bottles of scotch at a store near his motel, but nothing else. Despite his eidetic memory, the rest of last night was kind of blur to him. Did he really called Emily while intoxicated?

"My bag is in my rental car, but that's not the problem right now. You don't seem like yourself. Tell me what's going on?" she practically demanded, determined to know the truth.

She didn't want him to know that his phone call had scared her, and during the seven hour flight, she had imagined all kind of horrible scenarios (in the worst, she pictured him dead in his bed with a needle in his arm). She had promised herself that she was not leaving LV until she knew exactly what was going on.

"Everything is fine," Reid didn't even pretend that he wasn't lying.

From the moment he had found out how sick his mother really was, he had wanted to contact Emily many times; but he wouldn't. He still regretted the way he had handled things with her, and he didn't feel it was right to drag her down into his personal hell.

She knew that he was lying about everything being fine. She sat down next to Reid, took his head in her hands, and almost begged him, "Please, Spencer, don't lie to me. What's going on?"

He looked at her and realized that he couldn't lie to her anymore. She had flown hundreds of miles just to make that he was okay. He owed her the truth, "My mother is _very_ sick."

"How bad is she?" Emily dared to ask, because Reid's mother's health had always been a delicate subject.

"My mother's in the hospitalized diagnosed with Myocarditis. Her cardiologist has to run more tests, but so far she isn't optimistic about the prognosis," he ended, sobbing a little.

"I'm so sorry," Emily said. She couldn't find the right words to comfort him, so she put her arms around him and held him.

For those few seconds, holding on to Emily helped Reid forget about his mom's illness (something that the scotch had never accomplished). He wanted to stay in her arms forever, but he remembered that he had an appointment with his mom's doctor.

Slowly releasing his arms, he wiped his tearful eyes and whispered, "Emily, I really appreciate your presence; but I have an appointment with the cardiologist and then I want to see my mom." he stood up and walked over to his bag to grab a change of clothes. "I know that you're probably tired, but can you come with me? I could really use the company."

"Sure," she replied, glad to be of whatever help that she could.

"Thanks, it means a lot to me," he smiled slightly and then walked into the bathroom to shower and change.

* * *

><p>Reid hated hospitals anyway, but it was worse when he had to visit someone he cared for. Before opening the door to his mother's room, he took a few deep breaths trying to relax a little. It helped a lot when he felt Emily hold his hand. Softly caressing the back of his hand with her thumb, Emily told him, "It's going to be alright."<p>

Reid knew it wasn't going to be, but he choose to believe her anyway.

Reid opened the door and walked in, followed by Emily. "Hi, mom. How are you feeling today?" he asked, as he kissed her cheek.

"Hi, baby. I hate been in hospitals, and you know that," she answered a little groggily. Then, looking in Emily's direction, she smiled, "My son is a genius, but sometimes he asks stupid questions."

"Mom, this is..." he tried to introduce Emily, but his mom cut him off.

"You're Emily Prentiss, right?"

"Hi, Mrs. Reid, it's nice to finally meet you," Emily was a little surprised. Unlike the rest of the team, Emily had never met Diana Reid. She did know that Reid wrote daily letters to his mom, so he must have mentioned her in one of them.

"I feel like I already know you, so call me Diana," Mrs. Reid smiled. From her son's letters, Diana Reid had knowledge of everyone who was important in her son's life. He never wrote about his sentimental life, but by the way he repeatedly wrote about Emily, Diane knew that she was special to him.

"Only if you call me Emily," Emily smiled back.

* * *

><p>Immediately, Emily liked Diana. Like her son, the former college professor had a brilliant mind. They were in the middle of conversing about literature when Dr. Wallace, a woman in her mid-forties, stepped into the room. She asked to see Reid in private.<p>

Reid muttered, "I'll be right back," to his mom and Emily; then he followed Dr. Wallace to her office.

Diana didn't say a word. She was used to being excluded from discussions regarding her health. Reid was her legal guardian because she was clinically irresponsible. So, whenever doctors needed to discuss treatments, they always requested to see Reid alone.

She didn't need to hear their conversation to understand the gravity of her condition. For months now, she had experienced chest pains. She hadn't told anyone because after over three decades of taking anti-psychotic drugs, she had learned the long list of side effects.

Diana knew this was the end of the road. Yet, in her misfortune, she was glad to have finally met Emily because she needed something from her.

"Emily, can I ask you to do something for me?" Diana asked with conviction.

"Of course," Emily replied. She was intrigued by the solemnity of Diana's voice.

"Can you keep an eye on my Spencer when I'm gone? He'll need someone. Please promise me that you'll be there for him," Diana asked.

"Don't talk like that, Diana. Everything is going to be just fine," Emily tried to sound reassuring and wanted to believe it herself. But earlier, while Reid had showered, Emily had looked though the mound of medical books and research papers regarding cardiomyopathy. According to Reid's own notes, he wasn't optimistic about his mom's chances.

"I bet you used that same sentence to reassure the family and friends of victims," Diana paused, then continued, "I'm maybe crazy, but I'm not stupid. My days are counting down, and I need to know that you'll be there for him. I wasn't a good mom ... I didn't take care of him well enough, but I don't want him to be alone. This is my last will and testament."

As Emily watched the older woman take a tissue and dry her blue eyes, so convinced of her immediate death, Emily decided to offer Diana some peace of mind. She promised that she would be there for Reid.

* * *

><p>It was dark and late when Reid parked his rental car hotel parking lot. He sat there for a few minutes watching Emily as she slept. As soon as she had buckled herself in, she had fall asleep due to exhaustion. Despite the fact that she had her own medical issues, Emily had offered him her full support.<p>

Reid felt so grateful for her presence in Las Vegas. Until she knocked on his room door, he hadn't realized how much he still needed her support and her strength in his life; even if it was just as a friend. He felt selfish, but he needed her in his life. He leaned over and whispered gently to her, "Emily, wake up."

Emily opened her eyes, and blinked a few times, "We're here already?" They both got out the car. Stretching her body, Emily yawned and said, "I'm going to book a room. Call me if you need anything. Goodnight, Spencer." She kissed him on his cheek and headed towards her own rental car.

He watched her remove her bag from the trunk, and called over, "You could stay with me, if you want ? I mean … if it doesn't bother you to share a bed with me?" His own words surprised him. The last thing that he wanted was to send Emily any more mixed messages by letting her think that they could resume their relationship; but he couldn't deny the fact that he felt better whenever she was around.

"Yeah, sure, why not? It's not like we haven't done it before," Emily stated, biting her tongue.

She ignored the little voice in her head that told her _sharing a bed with Reid wasn't a brilliant idea_, as she followed him to his room.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Thanks to my beta and for your kind reviews.**

* * *

><p>They spent the rest of the evening eating Thai food, watching old movies and talking. Emily did everything she could to cheer Reid up, and it seemed to work because he was able to take his mind off his troubles and fell asleep.<p>

Emily fell deep in sleep too but something woke her up, and she realized that Reid's side of the bed was empty. She switched on the light and saw Reid deep in thought, sitting on a chair. She was very familiar with his chronic insomnia from when they (more or less) had lived together; but she was surprised to find him in the dark because he hated being it. She concluded that he couldn't sleep and didn't want to wake her up by turning on the light.

"Sorry," she apologized for interrupting his thought processing. Since he talked to Dr. Wallace, Emily saw through the controlled facade of Reid's expression and assumed that he had received bad news. She sat up on the edge of the bed and gently asked, "You want to talk?"

"I don't think talking will help," Reid replied, still deep in thought.

Dr. Wallace was sure that Diana's medications had certainly caused damage to her heart so the cardiologist changed them to some less toxic and prescribed new inhibitors for Mrs Reid's heart failure. The good news was that the combination of this new treatment had already seemed to improve Diana's health. The bad news was that her old treatments had damaged her heart beyond repair so she might still experience another severe cardiac issues in the coming months.

"Come here," Emily said patting a spot next to her.

Reid walked over and sat on the bed. After a moment of silence, while holding back his tears, he confessed, "I'm afraid." Despite the encouraging statistics that Dr. Wallace had stated, Reid knew that his mother's only chance of full recovery was a heart transplant; and that was basically impossible given his mom's medical history.

It physically hurt Emily to see Reid so broken. She tried comforting him the best she could, "I know you're scared, but don't lose hope; and don't forget that the team and I are here for you."

Reid reached over and kissed her lips, and Emily moaned involuntarily. Her common sense screamed at her to stop him; but instead, she kissed him back and didn't resist as he edged her onto her back. She knew it was a dangerous path, but she couldn't care else. The man she loved was kissing her (and she was kissing him back) and nothing else mattered.

Ignoring the loud voice in his head that told him to keep kissing her, Reid pulled away from her, "I'm sorry, I can't." he apologized.

Emily rapidly pulled up her walls to hide her frustration, "Don't worry, I understand. It been a very emotional day for you, and you needed some comfort."

For a second, Reid thought about telling her that he agreed with her, but he was tired of lying to her and to himself about his true feelings. He was in love with Emily Prentiss, and he was going to tell her.

"No, you don't understand. I'm in love with you. That's why I broke up with you because I love you, and you don't love me back. That's why I can't have sex with you right now. I don't want us to have comfort sex and tomorrow pretend that nothing happened. I don't want that because I want to make love to you and then wake up tomorrow next to you; and tell you things I should have told you months ago. I know you don't feel the same way, but..."

Emily cut off Reid's monologue by a hard kiss on his lips. She didn't mean to be so melodramatic, but she knew Reid's power of speech. He could have gone on for hours if she didn't stop him. Plus, actions speak louder than words.

Taking advantage of his temporary inability to talk, she finally declared her love for him, "I'm in love with you, too. I was afraid that you didn't share my feeling, so it was easy for me to pretend that we were just lonely co-workers longing for affection. That's why I didn't tell you when I thought I was pregnant, but not sure; because I knew that it would change everything between us."

Reid was silent as he listened to her, and all he could hear was that Emily loved him back. This fact made him happy, but the prospect of having a relationship (a real one, this time) scared him, so he asked, "What are we going to do now?"

"Right now? We're going to sleep. We can talk tomorrow," she smiled and sighed. She was as scared as he was, but she was determined to fight for a future with him.

"I like your plan," Reid smiled and kissed her sweetly. They held onto each other and settled down to sleep.

* * *

><p>They were sleeping peacefully with Reid's arms wrapped protectively around Emily, until they were awoken by Reid's phone ringing. He recognized Garcia's ringtone and chose not to answer the call. He knew that he would have a hard time explaining why Emily was in Las Vegas and in his room.<p>

"You not going to answer it?" she asked sleepily.

"No, it's Garcia," he sighed.

"Okay," she agreed, trying to get back to sleep.

In the few hours that Emily had been in Las Vegas, Garcia had called her five times; and each time, Emily had let the calls go to voicemail. She knew that her friend must be worried sick about her, but she wasn't in the mood for one of Garcia's relentless inquiries.

* * *

><p>At 9 A.M, Reid carefully climbed off the bed and stated, "Emily, I have to go back to the hospital."<p>

He had argued with himself about whether to ask her to come with him, or not. Before he could open his mouth, Emily asked him if she could come with him. He smiled and nodded _yes_.

They showered separately and got dressed. Before visiting Reid's mom, they stopped for breakfast at a small restaurant close to the hospital.

While they ate, they quietly talked about their mutual love confessions. They both knew that if they seriously committed to dating each other, then everything was going to change (their jobs, their friendships, and the team's dynamic); so they agreed to separately think about the ramifications of openly fraternizing with a co-worker. They also agreed to wait until Reid come back in DC then decided whether, or not, if their feelings were truly worthy of such sacrifices.

In order to accomplish that, Emily agreed to leave Las Vegas after visiting with Diana. It highly annoyed her having to leave Reid to face his problems alone, but it was the right call to make. She knew that he wasn't in the ideal state of mind to start a newly committed romantic relationship and she didn't want to jeopardize her future with him by rushing their decisions.

* * *

><p>Hours later, as they sat next to each other in the McCarran International Airport's waiting room, Emily tried to act casually; but she didn't have the heart to fake it because she was afraid.<p>

She was afraid to choose her job over Reid, or that he would choose his job over her. She was afraid of having an open and public relationship with a younger man and becoming a target of gossips. She didn't want to hear mean comments about her and Reid. However, what she feared the most was giving her heart to Reid and the possibility that he might crush it.

Reid interrupted her deep thoughts, "Earth to Emily." She turned her head to look at him. Smiling sadly, he said, "They called your flight."

Now aware of the PA system announcing her flight number, Emily responded, "Yeah, right," as they gathered their belongings and stood up.

When they reached the terminal gate, they stopped in front of the check-in counter and spontaneously hugged each other.

"Have a nice flight, and thank you for your support," Reid whispered into her ear.

"I'll call you when I land in DC, okay?" Emily said. When they released each other from their embrace, she noticed that Reid was smiling happily. Confused, she asked, "What?"

"I really want to kiss you right now, but we're being recorded by video cameras. Garcia could be watching us right now," he chuckled.

She laughed. He was probably right, but she was braver than him. Emily gave Reid a quick peck on his lips before handing her boarding pass to the US Airways tickler handler.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi, everyone.**

**First of all thanks for your reviews and nice words. It's been a while since I last uploaded and I'm sorry for that. I'm not giving up on my stories but it's going to take time to finish them.**

**I lost touch with my original beta reader so I don't know if she's still ****interesting**** to be my proofreader. If anyone is available and kind enough to help me, please let me know.**

**Thank you everyone.**


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